bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tribological behavior of high-pressure torsion processed biodegradable pure Zn under dry and wet conditions
Authors: Günay Bulutsuz Asli
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Zn has been attracting increasing attention with its biological compatibility property as a degradable implant material. Besides mechanical properties, especially for bone implant applications, wear resistance is a crucial mechanical property. The purpose of this study is to investigate HPTed Zn samples’ tribological behavior under dry and simulated body fluid (SBF) lubrication conditions.

Design/methodology/approach

Pure Zn powders were consolidated via the high-pressure torsion (HPT) method with 1, 5 and 10 rotations. Cast pure Zn samples were used as the control group. The wear behavior of pure Zn samples was investigated under dry and SBF lubrication conditions with a ball-on testing method. The wear tracks were observed with a mechanical profilometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Findings

The application of HPT not only improved the mechanical strength and degradation performance but also improved wear resistance. However, tests with SBF resulted in higher wear rates. Besides, SBF significantly masked the positive effect of HPT on the coefficient of friction (COF). Although with SBF tests, 10 HPT rotation samples resulted in the lowest wear width and volume.

Originality/value

The main originality of this study is to reveal the HPT process and SBF effects on the tribological behavior of pure Zn to observe their potential usage for bone implant applications.
Sustainable innovation and inclusive business in Latin America
Authors: Pineda-Escobar Maria Alejandra
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This exploratory research aims to analyze sustainable innovation in the context of inclusive business in Latin America.

Design/methodology/approach

The study performs a summative content analysis of 22 inclusive businesses (IBs) of current Business Call to Action (BCtA) members in Latin America. Codes were created to identify the modification or introduction of sustainable products/services/processes. Data were analyzed using NVivo 12.

Findings

Results show a prevalence of Colombian examples within Latin American inclusive business, and a more significant proportion in the agricultural sector, consistent with reports found in the literature. The authors found that sustainable innovation takes place when introducing new products/services/processes that respond to the needs of the bottom of the pyramid (BoP) population, or modifying existing processes and services to make them more sustainable.

Originality/value

As most sustainable innovation literature is product-oriented and technically dominated, these results contribute to the newer works adopting a more comprehensive conception of innovation, providing empirical evidence at the product, service and process levels. The results provide insights on how inclusive businesses make adaptations to improve the sustainability of their supply chains to bring their products/services within reach of isolated and disadvantaged communities. The findings also suggest that sustainable product innovation in an inclusive business goes beyond a cost reduction objective. Tailored design reveals a hybrid socioeconomic goal with a high degree of local context embeddedness and precise attention to nascent specialized demand. The results could be of practical use for organizations that want to operate an inclusive business in BoP markets.
Libraries, sustainability and sustainable development: a review of the research literature
Authors: Mathiasson Mia Høj , Jochumsen Henrik
Published: March 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this literature review is to provide an overview of and insights into a selected bibliography of 102 research publications on libraries – of all types – sustainability and sustainable development, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Design/methodology/approach

The review procedure is inspired by the hermeneutic literature review method, referring to a circular process of searching, sorting, selecting, acquiring, reading, identifying and refining. The publications are mapped to provide an overview of the research field. Following the research mapping, all publications are categorized as either environmental, economic, social, cultural or holistic according to their usage and understanding of the core concepts of sustainability and sustainable development. Finally, the main rationales behind the core concepts are identified, and their possible implications on the role of libraries and librarians are discussed.

Findings

Of the 102 research publications, 45 are categorized as environmental, 9 as economic, 9 as social, 3 as cultural and 36 as holistic. The main rationales identified across these categories are optimization, legitimation, demonstration and transformation. The possible implications behind these rationales are that libraries and librarians should be resourceful, explicit about their motivations, serve as good examples and act as change agents. Increasingly, libraries and librarians are expected to act proactively in relation to the global sustainability agenda.

Originality/value

This literature review provides a unique overview of and insights into an emerging research field, which are needed for future research and discussion about the potentiality of libraries and librarians in solving global sustainability challenges.
Adaptive deep learning for deep COVID-19 diagnosis
Authors: S. Elavaar Kuzhali , M.K. Pushpa
Published: March 2022

Purpose

COVID-19 has occurred in more than 150 countries and causes a huge impact on the health of many people. The main purpose of this work is, COVID-19 has occurred in more than 150 countries and causes a huge impact on the health of many people. The COVID-19 diagnosis is required to detect at the beginning stage and special attention should be given to them. The fastest way to detect the COVID-19 infected patients is detecting through radiology and radiography images. The few early studies describe the particular abnormalities of the infected patients in the chest radiograms. Even though some of the challenges occur in concluding the viral infection traces in X-ray images, the convolutional neural network (CNN) can determine the patterns of data between the normal and infected X-rays that increase the detection rate. Therefore, the researchers are focusing on developing a deep learning-based detection model.

Design/methodology/approach

The main intention of this proposal is to develop the enhanced lung segmentation and classification of diagnosing the COVID-19. The main processes of the proposed model are image pre-processing, lung segmentation and deep classification. Initially, the image enhancement is performed by contrast enhancement and filtering approaches. Once the image is pre-processed, the optimal lung segmentation is done by the adaptive fuzzy-based region growing (AFRG) technique, in which the constant function for fusion is optimized by the modified deer hunting optimization algorithm (M-DHOA). Further, a well-performing deep learning algorithm termed adaptive CNN (A-CNN) is adopted for performing the classification, in which the hidden neurons are tuned by the proposed DHOA to enhance the detection accuracy. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed model has more possibilities to increase the COVID-19 testing methods on the publicly available data sets.

Findings

From the experimental analysis, the accuracy of the proposed M-DHOA–CNN was 5.84%, 5.23%, 6.25% and 8.33% superior to recurrent neural network, neural networks, support vector machine and K-nearest neighbor, respectively. Thus, the segmentation and classification performance of the developed COVID-19 diagnosis by AFRG and A-CNN has outperformed the existing techniques.

Originality/value

This paper adopts the latest optimization algorithm called M-DHOA to improve the performance of lung segmentation and classification in COVID-19 diagnosis using adaptive K-means with region growing fusion and A-CNN. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first work that uses M-DHOA for improved segmentation and classification steps for increasing the convergence rate of diagnosis.
Why do fraud victims get blamed? Lerner’s Belief in a Just World and its application to victims of online fraud
Authors: Nataraj-Hansen Shalini , Richards Kelly
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Victims of online fraud face a high level of blame from their families, friends, professionals, the broader community and often from themselves. Victims are commonly perceived as stupid, gullible and undeserving of justice. The reasons for this are under-researched, and there are currently no satisfactory explanations of why victim-blaming occurs so frequently in cases of online fraud. This paper aims to propose a potential theoretical explanation for the high level of blame experienced by online fraud victims.

Design/methodology/approach

Lerner’s Belief in a Just World (BJW) theory is posited as a helpful theoretical explanation for the high level of blame directed towards victims of online fraud.

Findings

This paper argues that Lerner’s BJW theory is a helpful framework for understanding the blame faced by victims of online fraud because it posits that behavioural responsibility (a trait commonly ascribed to online fraud victims) is central to perceived blameworthiness; and that compensation for a crime determines the level of blame directed towards victims. As victims of online fraud are exceptionally unlikely to receive any type of compensation (whether monetary or otherwise), BJW may help explain the blame directed towards victims.

Originality/value

Prior scholarship predominantly understands the blame faced by online fraud victims through the lens of Nils Christie’s (1986) “ideal victim” thesis. This paper presents an advance over this existing understanding by illustrating how BJW provides a more detailed explanation for victim blame in online fraud.
Barriers to multicultural education in Iran
Authors: Hassanpour Ali , Batmani Sedighe , Bolandhematan Keyvan
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to identify and investigate barriers to multicultural education in Iran.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is a qualitative research that was done using the phenomenological method. Participants included all experts and key informants in the field of multicultural education in the country who were selected as a statistical sample in different stages of the research using purposeful sampling. The semi-structured interview was used to collect information. Two ways, including member checking and external auditing, were used to validate the information. The thematic analysis method (theme analysis), which is based on open and core coding, was used to analyze the data.

Findings

The interview data revealed that barriers are generally identified in both structural and executive parts. The structural part had two main obstacles, political and scientific-professional, and the executive part had two technical and socio-cultural barriers. Also, barriers to multicultural education in curriculum design are the ideological education system, lack of a clear framework for multicultural education, etc. Furthermore, barriers to multicultural education in the curriculum implementation are hidden curriculum, the inability of teachers to implement multicultural education, etc. Finally, barriers to multicultural education in curriculum evaluation are misconception of evaluation and limited evaluation methods.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first one that presents the experts' viewpoints and experiences on the barriers to multicultural education in Iran.
Anemia, a moderate public health problem among adolescent school girls in Aysaita district, the pastoral community of the Afar region, Ethiopia
Authors: Anbesu Etsay , Mulaw Getahun , Mare Kusse , Kahssay Molla
Published: March 2022

Purpose

Adolescents are a vulnerable age group in the human life cycle for the development of anemia. Despite limited health infrastructures, there are limited studies in the pastoral community of the Afar region. Thus, this study aims to assess anemia and associated factors among adolescent school girls in the Aysaita district, the pastoral community of the Afar region, Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 522 randomly selected adolescent girls in the Aysaita district. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data, and a systematic random sampling technique was used using school registration rosters. Hemoglobin was measured using a complete blood count machine from the vein blood sample. Anthropometric measurements were done to assess the nutritional status of adolescents. Descriptive logistic regression analysis was used to summarize the results and identify the factors associated with anemia.

Findings

In this study, the prevalence of anemia among adolescent school girls was 109 (21.7%) [95% CI: (18.1%, 25.3%)]. School adolescent girls from rural residence [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.42, 95% CI (1.97, 5.94)], who had a minimum dietary diversity score less than 4 [AOR = 3.4, 95% CI (2.1, 5.42)] and menstrual duration 5 and above days [AOR = 2.34, 95% CI (1.36, 4.01)] were associated with increased odds of anemia.

Original article

This is original manuscript. Not submitted and published elsewhere.
Understanding the “infodemic”: social media news use, homogeneous online discussion, self-perceived media literacy and misperceptions about COVID-19
Authors: Su Yan , Borah Porismita , Xiao Xizhu
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study has three main purposes: (1) to investigate the association between social media news use and misperceptions about COVID-19; (2) to explore the mediating role of homogeneous online discussion; (3) and to understand whether the extent to which one perceives themselves as media-literate could moderate the relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted an online survey and collected data through Amazon Mechanical Turk. A total of 797 participants aged 18 and above completed the survey. The average age of the respondents is 38.40 years (SD = 12.31), and 41.2% were female. In terms of party identification, 30.8% were reported leaning toward Republicans; 53.7% leaned toward Democrats, and 15.4% were reported neutral.

Findings

Results from a moderated mediation model show that social media news use is positively associated with misperceptions about the COVID-19. Moreover, homogeneous online discussion was a significant mediator of the relationship between social media news use and misperceptions about COVID-19. Further, self-perceived media literacy (SPML) significantly moderated the main and indirect effects between social media news use and COVID-19 misperceptions, such that the associations became weaker among those with higher SPML.

Originality/value

Findings provide insights into the significance of online information sources, discussion network heterogeneity and media literacy education. Although there have been many studies on misinformation, prior research has not examined these relationships, which may help provide solutions to cope with misinformation.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-06-2021-0305
Extended qualitative content analysis: researching the United Nations and other international institutions
Authors: Mende Janne
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce the extended qualitative content analysis (EQCA) method to integrate data-reducing and data-complicating research steps when conducting qualitative research on the United Nations and other international institutions.

Design/methodology/approach

EQCA supplements the method of qualitative content analysis, which enables researchers to deal with large amounts of data, with two elements from grounded theory, which allow detailed analysis and interpretation of codes and sub-codes. The elements in question are axial coding and theoretical sampling.

Findings

EQCA provides a method to generate middle-range theories by combining theoretical and empirical analysis to address and theorize the complex interactions between actors, structures and norms in international institutions. The value added by the proposed method is demonstrated with a case study of a United Nations intergovernmental working group in the issue area of business and human rights.

Originality/value

Based on the concepts of interpretation and social causality, this paper contributes to the body of qualitative research that transcends the dichotomy between positivist and post-positivist approaches in the disciplines of international relations and international political theory.
Impaired Wnt/beta‐catenin and protein patched homolog 1 signaling in extraocular sebaceous carcinoma: A clinical and histopathological study
Authors: Cheng An‐Yu , Lan Jui , Lee Chih‐Hung
Published: March 2022

Sebaceous carcinoma (SC) is a rare malignant neoplasm with sebaceous differentiation. SC is classified into eyelid and extraocular SC clinically. Most studies have focused on the eyelid SC in terms of pathogenesis, treatment, and prognosis. In skin, Wnt/beta‐catenin and hedgehog signaling are two major pathways in sebaceous differentiation. We aimed to characterize the clinical and histopathological features of extraocular SC and to measure the expression of beta‐catenin, lymphoid enhancer‐binding factor 1 (LEF1), sonic hedgehog (Shh), and protein patched homolog 1 (PTCH) in extraocular SC. Ten cases of extraocular SC were identified from 2007 to 2020. The clinical features, microscopic findings, and prognosis were analyzed. Immunohistochemical stain for beta‐catenin, LEF1, Shh, and PTCH were performed in extraocular SC and other benign sebaceous tumors including sebaceous hyperplasia, sebaceous adenoma, and sebaceoma. The male:female ratio was 4:6. The median onset age was 73.5 years (range, 43–88). Seven patients out of 10 were diagnosed after 60 years. Most extraocular SC were located on the head and neck with indurated plaque. Two patients had concurrent internal cancers and three patients showed lymph node metastasis at time of presentation. Five‐year overall‐survival was 40%. Beta‐catenin was expressed membranously in all sebaceous hyperplasia, but was expressed variably in extraocular SC (1/5). While LEF1 was unequivocally expressed in normal hair follicles, LEF1 expression was absent in all extraocular SC and benign sebaceous tumors. Regarding the sonic hedgehog signaling, Shh and PTCH were all expressed in the cytoplasm of sebaceous hyperplasia, sebaceous adenoma, and sebaceoma. In contrast, PTCH was absent in all cases of extraocular SC and only 50% of the extraocular SC expressed cytoplasmic Shh. To conclude, extraocular SC commonly affects facial skin in the elderly. Inactivated Wnt/beta‐catenin and aberrant hedgehog pathway may contribute to the carcinogenesis of extraocular SC. Further studies may be required to elucidate the causative mechanism of these pathways in extraocular SC.
Assessment of four screening tools and retrieval of key questions to detect undiagnosed psoriatic arthritis in Chinese patients with psoriasis: A multicenter study
Authors: Cui Ran , Chen Miao , Li Xia , Wang Qian , Tong Qiang , Zhang Hua , Chen Zhiyong , Tao Yi‐Li , Bi Xin‐Ling , Deng Hui , Yuan Ding‐Fen , He Dong‐Yi , Ding Yang‐Feng , Dai Sheng‐Ming
Published: March 2022

Several screening tools have been developed to facilitate early diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA); however, their performance varied greatly across different studies. In this study, we validated and compared the performance of four screening tools in detecting undiagnosed PsA Chinese patients with psoriasis, and determined the key questions and their weights. The four screening tools were the Early Arthritis for Psoriatic Patients (EARP) questionnaire, Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation (PASE) questionnaire, Psoriasis and Arthritis Screening Questionnaire (PASQ), and Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST). The receiver–operator curve (ROC) with area under curve (AUC) was used to determine sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and logistic regression were utilized to retrieve key questions, and a nomogram was utilized to visualize their weights. Of 482 psoriasis patients from dermatology clinics, 77 were newly diagnosed with PsA. Another 68 patients with newly diagnosed PsA from rheumatology clinics were incorporated in the analysis. ROC analysis indicated that the optimal cut‐off values for EARP, PASE, PASQ, and PEST were 3, 40, 7, and 3, with corresponding sensitivities of 91.4%, 88.6%, 86.2%, and 88.5%, and specificities of 88.6%, 75.2%, 80.2%, and 83.6%, respectively. The AUC of EARP (0.925) was higher than those of PASE (0.885), PASQ (0.905), and PEST (0.827). However, none of them were sufficiently sensitive to identify pure axial PsA (sensitivities of EARP, PASQ, and PASE were 25.0%, 36.8%, and 42.1%, respectively). Twelve key questions were retrieved from these four tools to establish a nomogram with a high discrimination (C‐index = 0.993) and a good calibration (mean absolute error = 0.014). In conclusion, to screen undiagnosed PsA, EARP has slightly better balanced sensitivity and specificity, and higher accuracy. The retrieval of key questions and nomogram signify the necessity of attributing different scores to differently weighted questions when developing a new screening tool to make it function more efficiently.
Finding the adaptive needles in a population‐structured haystack: A case study in a New Zealand mollusc
Authors: Salloum Priscila M. , Santure Anna W. , Lavery Shane D. , de Villemereuil Pierre
Published: March 2022

Genetic adaptation to future environmental conditions is crucial to help species persist as the climate changes. Genome scans are powerful tools to understand adaptive landscapes, enabling us to correlate genetic diversity with environmental gradients while disentangling neutral from adaptive variation. However, low gene flow can lead to both local adaptation and highly structured populations, and is a major confounding factor for genome scans, resulting in an inflated number of candidate loci.

Here, we compared candidate locus detection in a marine mollusc (Onithochiton neglectus), taking advantage of a natural geographical contrast in the levels of genetic structure between its populations. O. neglectus is endemic to New Zealand and distributed throughout an environmental gradient from the subtropical north to the subantarctic south. Due to a brooding developmental mode, populations tend to be locally isolated. However, adult hitchhiking on rafting kelp increases connectivity among southern populations.

We applied two genome scans for outliers (Bayescan and PCAdapt) and two genotype–environment association (GEA) tests (BayeScEnv and RDA). To limit issues with false positives, we combined results using the geometric mean of q‐values and performed association tests with random environmental variables. This novel approach is a compromise between stringent and relaxed approaches widely used before, and allowed us to classify candidate loci as low confidence or high confidence.

Genome scans for outliers detected a large number of significant outliers in strong and moderately structured populations. No high‐confidence GEA loci were detected in the context of strong population structure. However, 86 high‐confidence loci were associated predominantly with latitudinally varying abiotic factors in the less structured southern populations. This suggests that the degree of connectivity driven by kelp rafting over the southern scale may be insufficient to counteract local adaptation in this species.

Our study supports the expectation that genome scans may be prone to errors in highly structured populations. Nonetheless, it also empirically demonstrates that careful statistical controls enable the identification of candidate loci that invite more detailed investigations. Ultimately, genome scans are valuable tools to help guide further research aiming to determine the potential of non‐model species to adapt to future environments.
Working with clients of higher weight in Australia: Findings from a national survey exploring occupational therapy practice
Authors: Lunt Alison , Foy Mikaela , White Carolynne
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Occupational therapists are key members of the multidisciplinary team and regularly work with people of higher weight across age groups and practice settings. There is limited existing research regarding the occupational therapy role with this client group. The aim of this study was to explore occupational therapy practice and barriers to service provision for Australian occupational therapists working with clients of higher weight.

Methods

A cross‐sectional study design using a self‐administered online survey was distributed to members of the national occupational therapy professional association. The survey was designed to identify common assessments and interventions used with clients of higher weight and explore occupational therapists' perspectives on their knowledge and confidence and the barriers to service delivery. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise rating scales, and open‐ended responses were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Eighty Australian occupational therapists working in a range of settings and with varied experience levels participated in the study. Participants described the most common areas of occupational therapy assessment and intervention when working with clients of higher weight to be self‐care, equipment prescription, home modifications and pressure care. Respondents were least confident in interventions related to psychosocial, leisure and employment interventions. Barriers to service delivery included accessibility and cost of equipment, lack of training and weight stigma.

Conclusion

Occupational therapy practice promotes and enables participation in everyday occupations with people of higher weight. This study highlights not only the occupational therapy skills and unique approach to the person, their environment and occupations but also the challenges faced by occupational therapists when working with people of higher weight. Occupational therapists could consider utilising the weight‐inclusive paradigm to broaden their contribution from self‐care to other important aspects of participation and well‐being.
AwMelWolbachiavariant inAedes aegyptifrom field‐collectedDrosophila melanogasterwith increased phenotypic stability under heat stress
Authors: Gu Xinyue , Ross Perran A. , Rodriguez‐Andres Julio , Robinson Katie L. , Yang Qiong , Lau Meng‐Jia , Hoffmann Ary A.
Published: March 2022

Mosquito‐borne diseases remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Population replacement strategies involving thewMel strain ofWolbachiaare being used widely to control mosquito‐borne diseases. However, these strategies may be influenced by temperature becausewMel is vulnerable to heat.wMel infections inDrosophila melanogasterare genetically diverse, but few transinfections ofwMel variants have been generated inAedes aegypti. Here, we successfully transferred awMel variant (termedwMelM) originating from a field‐collectedD. melanogasterintoAe. aegypti. The newwMelM variant (clade I) is genetically distinct from the originalwMel transinfection (clade III), and there are no genomic differences betweenwMelM in its original and transinfected host. We comparedwMelM withwMel in its effects on host fitness, temperature tolerance,Wolbachiadensity, vector competence, cytoplasmic incompatibility and maternal transmission under heat stress in a controlled background.wMelM showed a higher heat tolerance thanwMel, likely due to higher overall densities within the mosquito. BothwMel variants had minimal host fitness costs, complete cytoplasmic incompatibility and maternal transmission, and dengue virus blocking under laboratory conditions. Our results highlight phenotypic differences betweenWolbachiavariants andwMelM shows potential as an alternative strain in areas with strong seasonal temperature fluctuations.
Direct and Indirect Effects of Beneficiary Contact and Supervisor Support on Service Performance: Does Perceived External Prestige Matter?
Authors: Vittal Rangan S. , Mishra Sushanta K. , Varma Arup
Published: March 2022

Customers play a significant role in motivating frontline employees. However, little research has examined the impact of employees’ interactions with external beneficiaries in explaining service performance. In the present study, we borrowed from the job characteristics model and social exchange theory to build our model. Drawing on data from 889 frontline service employees and 2667 customers in the microfinance sector, our study demonstrated that supervisor support (an internal factor) and contact with beneficiaries (an external factor) influence employee service performance. We also investigated employee gratitude as an intervening mechanism through which supervisor support and beneficiary contact improve employee service performance. In addition, we found that employees’ perception of the external prestige of their organization is a powerful force linking the above factors with service performance. Our findings advance the understanding of employee service performance, thus providing significant implications for research and practice.
Water shortage risk evaluation and its primary cause: Empirical evidence from rural China
Authors: Wenxin Liu , Yao Zhang , Ruifan Xu , Zhen Zhang
Published: March 2022

This study explores the level of rural water shortage risk from the perspective of disaster risk and poverty. Based on related causes and characteristics, we quantitatively analyze the water shortage risk in rural China during 1997–2019. Furthermore, the spatial and temporal evolution is tested based on the exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) and kernel density estimation (KDE) models. Finally, we use the obstacle model to explore the main factors affecting water shortage risk. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) The results show three types in rural China: high‐risk areas, medium‐risk areas, and low‐risk areas. The rural water shortage risk declines over time, and the improvements in the rural areas are evident. (2) Within rural China, the trend shows positive spatial correlation and temporal variation. (3) Factors that impact the water shortage risk mainly include population with access to clean water, degree of damage caused by farmland flood and drought, soil erosion control area, drainage area of farmland, lag rate of the agricultural economy, agricultural population density, per capita water consumption, and fiscal self‐sufficiency of the government. The research findings provide a theoretical foundation for the evaluation of rural water shortage risk and a regional strategy to relieve rural water shortage.
Carboplatin plus nab‐paclitaxel for recurrent small cell lung cancer: A phase II study
Authors: Ikeda Naoya , Arai Ryo , Soda Sayo , Inoue Takashi , Uchida Nobuhiko , Nakamura Yusuke , Masawa Meitetsu , Kushima Yoshitomo , Okutomi Hiroaki , Takemasa Akihiro , Shimizu Yasuo , Niho Seiji
Published: March 2022

Background

We conducted a phase II study of carboplatin plus nab‐paclitaxel for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) after the failure of a prior standard chemotherapy containing platinum, etoposide, irinotecan, and amrubicin if indicated. Patients with interstitial pneumonia complications were included in the study.

Methods

Patients received 100 mg/m2 of nab‐paclitaxel weekly (on days 1, 8, and 15) and an AUC 5 of carboplatin on day 1. The study treatment was repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression or the appearance of unacceptable toxicities. The primary endpoint was the objective response rate.

Results

A total of 21 patients were enrolled, all of whom were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. Twelve patients had pre‐existing interstitial pneumonia. The overall response rate was 19.0% (90% confidence interval [CI]: 6.8%–38.4%). The lower limit of the 90% CI for the response rate did not exceed the prespecified threshold value of 10%. Among the 12 patients with pre‐existing interstitial pneumonia, the response rate was 25%. The median progression‐free survival time was 2.5 months (95% CI: 1.5–3.4 months), and the median survival time was 5.1 months (95% CI: 2.1–8.1 months). Two patients developed interstitial lung disease; both of these patients had pre‐existing interstitial pneumonia. One of the patients died from interstitial lung disease.

Conclusion

Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin plus nab‐paclitaxel for recurrent SCLC had a modest activity, although the primary study endpoint was not met. Further investigation of this regimen for patients with recurrent SCLC and interstitial pneumonia is warranted.
Acidic nanoparticles protect against α‐synuclein‐induced neurodegeneration through the restoration of lysosomal function
Authors: Arotcarena Marie‐Laure , Soria Federico N. , Cunha Anthony , Doudnikoff Evelyne , Prévot Geoffrey , Daniel Jonathan , Blanchard‐Desce Mireille , Barthélémy Philippe , Bezard Erwan , Crauste‐Manciet Sylvie , Dehay Benjamin
Published: March 2022

Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age‐related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, associated with the accumulation of misfolded α‐synuclein and lysosomal impairment, two events deemed interconnected. Protein aggregation is linked to defects in degradation systems such as the autophagy‐lysosomal pathway, while lysosomal dysfunction is partly related to compromised acidification. We have recently proven that acidic nanoparticles (aNPs) can re‐acidify lysosomes and ameliorate neurotoxin‐mediated dopaminergic neurodegeneration in mice. However, no lysosome‐targeted approach has yet been tested in synucleinopathy models in vivo. Here, we show that aNPs increase α‐synuclein degradation through enhancing lysosomal activity in vitro. We further demonstrate in vivo that aNPs protect nigral dopaminergic neurons from cell death, ameliorate α‐synuclein pathology, and restore lysosomal function in mice injected with PD patient‐derived Lewy body extracts carrying toxic α‐synuclein aggregates. Our results support lysosomal re‐acidification as a disease‐modifying strategy for the treatment of PD and other age‐related proteinopathies.
Mechanism of injury and special considerations as predictive of serious injury: A systematic review
Authors: Lupton Joshua R. , Davis‐O'Reilly Cynthia , Jungbauer Rebecca M. , Newgard Craig D. , Fallat Mary E. , Brown Joshua B. , Mann N. Clay , Jurkovich Gregory J. , Bulger Eileen , Gestring Mark L. , Lerner E. Brooke , Chou Roger , Totten Annette M.
Published: March 2022

Objectives

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's field triage guidelines (FTG) are routinely used by emergency medical services personnel for triaging injured patients. The most recent (2011) FTG contains physiologic, anatomic, mechanism, and special consideration steps. Our objective was to systematically review the criteria in the mechanism and special consideration steps that might be predictive of serious injury or need for a trauma center.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of the predictive utility of mechanism and special consideration criteria for predicting serious injury. A research librarian searched in Ovid Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane databases for studies published between January 2011 and February 2021. Eligible studies were identified using a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were excluded if they lacked an outcome for serious injury, such as measures of resource use, injury severity scores, mortality, or composite measures using a combination of outcomes. Given the heterogeneity in populations, measures, and outcomes, results were synthesized qualitatively focusing on positive likelihood ratios (LR+) whenever these could be calculated from presented data or adjusted odds ratios (aOR).

Results

We reviewed 2418 abstracts and 315 full‐text publications and identified 42 relevant studies. The factors most predictive of serious injury across multiple studies were death in the same vehicle (LR+ 2.2–7.4), ejection (aOR 3.2–266.2), extrication (LR+ 1.1–6.6), lack of seat belt use (aOR 4.4–11.3), high speeds (aOR 2.0–2.9), concerning crash variables identified by vehicle telemetry systems (LR+ 4.7–22.2), falls from height (LR+ 2.4–5.9), and axial load or diving (aOR 2.5–17.6). Minor or inconsistent predictors of serious injury were vehicle intrusion (LR+ 0.8–7.2), cardiopulmonary or neurologic comorbidities (LR+ 0.8–3.1), older age (LR+ 0.6–6.8), or anticoagulant use (LR+ 1.1–1.8).

Conclusions

Select mechanism and special consideration criteria contribute positively to appropriate field triage of potentially injured patients.
Ten years of a publicly funded homebirth service in Victoria: Maternal and neonatal outcomes
Authors: Sweet Linda , Wynter Karen , O'Driscoll Katherine , Blums Tija , Nenke Agia , Sommeling Margaret , Kolar Rachel , Teale Glyn
Published: March 2022

Background

Rates of homebirth in Australia remain low, at less than 0.3% of all births.

Aims

To report maternal and neonatal outcomes of ten years of a publicly funded homebirth service, 2009–2019.

Method

Retrospective analysis of clinical outcome data including neonatal outcomes of women who requested a homebirth at a large metropolitan health service in Victoria, Australia. The primary outcomes included: maternal outcomes (mortality, transfer to hospital, place and mode of birth, perineal status, type of third stage of labour, postpartum haemorrhage), and neonatal outcomes (mortality, Apgar score at five minutes, birthweight, breastfeeding initiation, significant morbidity, transfer to hospital).

Results

Referrals for 827 women were reviewed; 633 remained eligible at 36 weeks gestation, and 473 (57%) birthed at home. Compared to women who did not, women who had a homebirth were significantly more likely to be multiparous, have a normal vaginal birth and an intact perineum, less likely to require suturing and less likely to have blood loss of more than 500 mL. Compared to infants not born at home, infants born at home were significantly less likely to require resuscitation, more likely to be of normal birthweight and exclusively receive breastmilk on discharge. There were no maternal deaths and one neonatal death of a baby born at home before the arrival of a midwife.

Conclusions

The outcomes for women accepted into the publicly funded homebirth program suggest appropriate triaging and case selection. A publicly funded homebirth program, with appropriate governance and clinical guidelines, appears to be a safe option for women experiencing low‐risk pregnancies.
Pulsatility hemodynamics during speed modulation of continuous‐flow total artificial heart in a chronic in vivo model
Authors: Kuroda Taiyo , Miyamoto Takuma , Miyagi Chihiro , Polakowski Anthony R. , Flick Christine R. , Kuban Barry D. , Voros George B. , Such Kimberly , Fukamachi Kiyotaka , Karimov Jamshid H.
Published: March 2022

Background

The evaluation of pulsatile flow created by the new Cleveland Clinic continuous‐flow total artificial heart (CFTAH100), which has a re‐designed right impeller and motor, had not been tested in vivo. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of pulsatility with the CFTAH100 during the application of pump speed modulation protocols in a chronic animal model.

Methods

A 30‐day chronic animal experiment was conducted with a calf. Five pulsatile studies were performed on the alert animal. The mean pump speed was set at 2800 rpm, and modulated sinusoidally within a range of 0 to ± 35% of mean speed, in increments of 5% at 80 beats per minute (bpm). The pressures and pump flow were collected and a pulsatility index (PI) was calculated.

Results

The calf was supported with the CFTAH100 without any major complications. The maximum and minimum pump flows changed significantly from baseline in all conditions, while the mean pump flow did not change. All flow pulsatility (FP) readings in all conditions significantly increased from baseline, and the percent modulation (%S) and FP had a strong positive correlation (r = 0.99, p  <  0.01). The PI also increased significantly in all conditions (maximum at %S of 35%, 2.2  ±  0.05, p < 0.01), and a positive correlation between %S and PI (r = 0.99, p < 0.01) was observed.

Conclusion

The CFTAH100 showed the feasibility of creating pulsatile circulation with sinusoidal pump speed modulation.
Remdesivir use and risks of acute kidney injury and acute liver injury among patients hospitalised with COVID‐19: a self‐controlled case series study
Authors: Wong Carlos K. H. , Au Ivan C. H. , Cheng Wing Yiu , Man Kenneth K. C. , Lau Kristy T. K. , Mak Lung Yi , Lui Sing Leung , Chung Matthew S. H. , Xiong Xi , Lau Eric H. Y. , Cowling Benjamin J.
Published: March 2022

Background and Aim

To investigate and quantify the risks of AKI and ALI associated with remdesivir use, given the underlying diseases of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection.

Methods

This self‐controlled case series (SCCS) study was conducted using electronic hospital records between 23 January 2020 and 31 January 2021 as retrieved from the Hong Kong Hospital Authority which manages all laboratory‐confirmed COVID‐19 cases in Hong Kong. Outcomes of AKI and ALI were defined using the KDIGO Guideline and Asia Pacific Association of Study of Liver consensus guidelines. Incidence rate ratios (IRR) for AKI and ALI following the administration of remdesivir (exposure) in comparison to a non‐exposure period were estimated using the conditional Poisson regression models.

Results

Of 860 COVID‐19 patients administered remdesivir during hospitalisation, 334 (38.8%) and 137 (15.9%) had incident ALI and AKI, respectively. Compared with the baseline period, both ALI and AKI risks were increased significantly during the pre‐exposure period (ALI: IRR = 6.169, 95% CI = 4.549–8.365; AKI: IRR = 7.074, 95% CI = 3.763–13.298) and remained elevated during remdesivir treatment. Compared to the pre‐exposure period, risks of ALI and AKI were not significantly higher in the first 2 days of remdesivir initiation (ALI: IRR = 1.261, 95% CI = 0.915–1.737; AKI: IRR = 1.261, 95% CI = 0.889–1.789) and between days 2 and 5 of remdesivir treatment (ALI: IRR = 1.087, 95% CI = 0.793–1.489; AKI: IRR = 1.152, 95% CI = 0.821–1.616).

Conclusion

The increased risks of AKI and ALI associated with intravenous remdesivir treatment for COVID‐19 may be due to the underlying SARS‐CoV‐2 infection. The risks of AKI and ALI were elevated in the pre‐exposure period, yet no such increased risks were observed following remdesivir initiation when compared to the pre‐exposure period.
Network pharmacology‐based dissection of the underlying mechanisms of dyspnoea induced by zedoary turmeric oil
Authors: Yang Zhirui , Wang Zhenzhen , Li Jiangling , Long Jianglan , Peng Cheng , Yan Dan
Published: March 2022

Zedoary turmeric oil (ZTO) has been widely used in clinic. However, the unpleasant induced dyspnoea inevitably impedes its clinical application. Thus, it is urgent to elucidate the mechanism underlying the ZTO‐induced dyspnoea. In this study, network pharmacology was firstly performed to search the clue of ZTO‐induced dyspnoea. The key target genes of ZTO‐induced dyspnoea were analysed using GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway analysis. GO analysis suggested that haem binding could be a key molecular function involved in ZTO‐induced dyspnoea. Hence, the haemoglobin (Hb) was focused for its oxygen‐carrying capacity with haem as its critical component binding to the oxygen. Ultraviolet–visible absorption spectrum indicated that the ZTO injection (ZTOI) perturbed the Soret band of Hb, suggesting an interaction between ZTO and Hb. GC–MS analysis revealed that β‐elemene, germacrone, curdione and furanodiene were main components of ZTOI. Molecular docking was used to illustrate the high affinity between representative sesquiterpenes and Hb, which was finally confirmed by surface plasmon resonance, suggesting their potential roles in dyspnoea by ZTO. Following a network pharmacology‐driven strategy, our study revealed an intervened Hb‐based mechanism underlying the ZTO‐induced dyspnoea, providing a reference for elucidating mechanism underlying adverse drug reactions of herbal medicines in clinic.
Pregnant women with bipolar disorder who have a history of childhood maltreatment: Intergenerational effects of trauma on fetal neurodevelopment and birth outcomes
Authors: Babineau Vanessa , McCormack Clare A. , Feng Tianshu , Lee Seonjoo , Berry Obianuju , Knight Bettina T. , Newport Jeffrey D. , Stowe Zachary N. , Monk Catherine
Published: March 2022

Objectives

Intergenerational transmission of trauma occurs when the effects of childhood maltreatment (CM) influence the next generation's development and health; prenatal programming via maternal mood symptoms is a potential pathway. CM is a risk factor for bipolar disorder which is present in 1.8% of pregnant women. Mood symptoms are likely to increase during pregnancy, particularly for those with a history of CM. We examined whether there was evidence for intergenerational transmission of trauma in utero in this population, and whether maternal mood was a transmission pathway.

Methods

CM and maternal mood were self‐reported by N = 82 pregnant women in treatment for bipolar disorder. Fetal heart rate variability (FHRV) was measured at 24, 30, and 36 weeks' gestation. Gestational age at birth and birth weight were obtained from medical charts.

Results

A cluster analysis yielded two groups, Symptom+ (18.29%) and Euthymic (81.71%), who differed on severe mood symptoms (p < 0.001) but not on medication use. The Symptom+ group had more CM exposures (p < 0.001), a trend of lower FHRV (p = 0.077), and greater birth complications (33.3% vs. 6.07% born preterm p < 0.01). Maternal prenatal mood mediated the association between maternal CM and birth weight in both sexes and at trend level for gestational age at birth in females.

Conclusions

This is the first study to identify intergenerational effects of maternal CM prior to postnatal influences in a sample of pregnant women with bipolar disorder. These findings underscore the potential enduring impact of CM for women with severe psychiatric illness and their children.
The impact of parents’ smartphone use on language development in young children
Authors: Morris Amanda J. , Filippetti Maria Laura , Rigato Silvia
Published: March 2022

Smartphone use is ubiquitous in the lives of parents, and an emerging area of research is investigating how parental smartphone use during parent–child interactions affects children’s language outcomes. Findings point toward negative outcomes in language development, but it is less clear what processes affect language outcomes. Gaze following, parental responsiveness, and joint attention are also reduced when parents use their smartphone, and all are critical to language development. In this article, we propose that these factors may mediate the effects of technoference due to parents’ smartphone use on language development in children from birth to 5 years. Because of methodological differences in the limited research conducted on this topic, it is difficult to draw firm conclusions about this proposal. We discuss these considerations and suggest directions for the field.