bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
On building social capital for Islamic finance
Authors: Ng Adam , Ibrahim Mansor , Mirakhor Abbas
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to set forth seven broad recommendations and 15 specific initiatives within a four-dimensional framework for the development of social capital in Islamic finance, particularly the stock market, given its role as the first best means of risk sharing.

Design/methodology/approach

– The four-dimensional framework comprises dimensions of principle and value, trust-reinforcing regulation, investment opportunity and infrastructure, as well as reputational intermediaries.

Findings

– A web of multi-pronged initiatives that are mutually reinforcing is proposed considering the multifaceted dimensions of social capital and the various possible transmission channels by which social capital can influence the financial system.

Practical implications

– While empirical studies have demonstrated the importance of trust and ethics in financial development, the pressing issue remains how social capital, including trust and ethics, can be developed to achieve a trustworthy, ethical and efficient financial system. This paper attempts to address this concern.

Originality/value

– This paper provides a framework for building social capital in Islamic finance.
Effect of ownership concentration on capital structure: evidence from the MENA region
Authors: Farooq Omar
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to document how does ownership concentration, a proxy for agency conflicts, affect capital structure of firms in emerging markets. Agency relationship between insiders and outsiders has the potential to influence corporate decision-making which, in turn, impacts firm characteristics such as leverage.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper uses pooled regression analysis to document the effect of ownership concentration on capital structure in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region (Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain), during the period between 2005 and 2009.

Findings

– The authors show that ownership concentration negatively affects capital structure. The results also show that for a given level of ownership concentration, the proportion of debt in capital structure goes up as information asymmetries decrease. Finally, the results show that for a given ownership concentration, it is the growth firms with low information asymmetries that have a higher proportion of debt in capital structure.

Research limitations/implications

– The authors argue that information asymmetries associated with ownership concentration minimize the ability of firms to raise debt, thereby resulting in a negative relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure. Furthermore, reluctance on the part of controlling shareholders to accumulate excess leverage to minimize non-diversifiable risk also negatively influences capital structure.

Originality/value

– Most of the prior studies on the relationship between ownership concentration and capital structure have been conducted in relatively more developed markets. An important market that has failed to attract attention regarding this issue is the MENA. This paper is an attempt to fill this gap by documenting the relationship between the two in the MENA region.
A case study of an integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system
Authors: Olivella Jordi , Gregorio Rubén
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is, first, to expose an integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system implemented to focus the organization on value streams and, by doing it, to improve performance, and, second, to analyze the results obtained.

Design/methodology/approach

– This paper is based on an exploratory case study carried out at Delphi Diesel Systems (DDS) plant in Sant Cugat (Spain).

Findings

– The integrated manufacturing performance measurement and meeting system implemented by DDS Sant Cugat resulted in being very successful and appropriate to obtain the established objectives: focus the organization on value streams; and, by doing it, to improve performance, particularly the overall equipment effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

– Considering the limited amount of research on the subject this kind of exploratory research is considered to be appropriate. The main limitation is that a single manufacturing plant was analyzed. Even though the characteristics of the plant and the problems addressed are common and, in consequence, it can be thought that the experience is replicable, further research should be conducted to verify it.

Practical implications

– For the management community, this paper provides a new way of designing and using manufacturing performance measurement systems.

Originality/value

– The presented case confirms previous works stating the importance of how performance measures and meetings are used and the need of involvement of the whole organization. The joint planning of the performance measures and the meeting system that has been presented had not previously been analyzed by the literature.
Organisational ambidexterity within process improvement
Authors: Matthews Rupert L. , Tan Kim Hua , Marzec Peter E.
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– Organisational ambidexterity has emerged as a new research paradigm that is relevant for promoting long-term firm performance however, research within practice-oriented domains has been limited. The purpose of this paper is to explore process improvement through the theoretical lens of organisational ambidexterity to understanding the conflicting aims of variation increasing and decreasing forms of operational process improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

– Drawing on reviews of both operations and strategic management literature, the paper employs a case study methodology to unpack critical aspects of ambidextrous process improvement across a range of organisational environments.

Findings

– The research shows that while the companies engaged in qualitatively different forms of improvement, by interpreting practices from an ambidextrous perspective, the complimentary nature of the two forms of improvement could be appreciated. The diversity of firms involved in the research also allowed findings to be considered in relation to a range of operational contexts.

Research limitations/implications

– The research highlights the relevance of an organisational ambidexterity perspective on operational process improvement, although the selection of companies the research draws from, limits it relevance to non-project-oriented organisations.

Practical implications

– Provides practitioners with a framework to inform their views and aims when engaging in process improvement activities.

Originality/value

– This is one of the first articles exploring process improvement from an ambidextrous perspective. This will help re-conceptualise process improvement away from wholly focusing upon quality improvement and variation reducing activities to help account for a more dynamic operating environment.
Green marketing programs as strategic initiatives in hospitality
Authors: Rosenbaum Mark Scott , Wong Ipkin Anthony
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to investigate a guest’s subjective appraisal of a hotel’s green marketing program, or green equity, along with value, brand and relationship equities on guest loyalty.

Design/methodology/approach

– Study 1 presents three models to explicate the role of a luxury hotel’s green initiatives in influencing guest loyalty. By means of structural equation modeling, one model emerges with the best fit. Study 2 examines how tourists assign economic value to a hotel’s green programs.

Findings

– Green equity plays a significant role in customers’ overall assessment of a hotel’s marketing programs; however, the effect is weaker when compared with the other indicators, including a hotel’s value proposition, brand image and loyalty programs. Furthermore, the results reveal that tourists are willing to pay a price premium for a hotel’s green marketing programs.

Research limitations/implications

– The paper links green marketing to the customer equity model and clarifies the impact of green marketing programs on loyalty and profitability. However, the study was conducted among luxury hotel guests and tourists in Macau, a leading gambling destination; thus, these customers might not have been concerned with green marketing initiatives.

Practical implications

– The results show that green initiatives are beneficial as long as managers include these initiatives in their overall strategic marketing programs that also promote firm value propositions, brand images and reputation.

Originality/value

– The paper clarifies the role of green marketing programs in hospitality and shows how hotels can benefit from enhanced guest loyalty and decreased operational expenses by implementing green initiatives.
Social capital’s role in the development of volunteer-led cooperatives
Authors: Richards Adam , Reed John
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this study is to evaluate how social capital is developed in a third sector organisation based in the north-west of England, a small food cooperative run by volunteers. Social capital comprises the bonds, bridges and linkages that hold together societal members, and it can be considered to be a precursor of economic capital.

Design/methodology/approach

– Qualitative data were collected through interviews with key informants, observations and documents. Data were analysed using either a template or a thematic analysis to identify aspects of social capital development.

Findings

– A model of the interactions between and within the three main stakeholder groups involved in the cooperative is presented. This model shows how these interactions can develop social capital, and it discusses how potential deficits in social capital can occur.

Research limitations/implications

– The findings have practical and theoretical implications, in that they may better equip third-sector organisations to understand how social capital is developed.

Originality/value

– This is one of few practical studies of social capital development in a social enterprise and provides valuable insights into the processes by which this is done.
Snow reliability and climate elasticity: case of a Slovak ski resort
Authors: Demiroglu O. Cenk , Kučerová Jana , Ozcelebi Oguzhan
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The aim of this paper is to present the relationship between climate and tourism development data as an example of an emerging winter and ski tourism destination in Slovakia.

Design/methodology/approach

– The method aims to discover the relationship through snow-reliability and regression analyses and to further implicate the consequences of such established relationship under a changing (warming) climate.

Findings

– As a result of the research, the authors can predict that a 1 per cent fall in snow depth and visibility would erode the ski demand by 1.2 and 0.12 per cent, respectively, a 1°C rise of the mean temperature, on the other hand, would indicate a 6 per cent loss of skipass sales. The latter finding translates into a further 6.6 to 19.2 per cent loss of sales on account of the anticipated temperature increases for the twenty-first century. The capacity of the resort for the utmost adaptation strategy, snowmaking, is also to deteriorate with the daytime/fulltime annual good quality production range to reduce from 33/45 days to 10-26/14-34 days, according to the emissions-related warming scenarios and in terms of the commonly available current technology.

Practical implications

– The results of the study can help the management of ski resorts to adopt strategies for the future development by taking into account the predicted climatic changes.

Originality/value

– This study is the first type of study performed in Slovakia and can contribute to the better understanding of the relationship between climate change and the performance of the ski tourism resorts. It also delivers innovation by considering wet-bulb temperature in snow-reliability analyses and also by coining the “climate elasticity” concept.
The tourism led growth hypothesis: the Lebanese case
Authors: Bassil Charbel , Hamadeh Mohamad , Samara Nisrine
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to study the direction of the causality between tourism development and economic growth in Lebanon between 1995 and 2013, after taking into consideration terrorist incidents and their intensities. These are considered as exogenous shocks that affect tourism development and economic growth instantaneously and with a lag.

Design/methodology/approach

– To reach the objectives, the authors estimate a vector auto regressive model with exogenous variables, applying a series of unit root tests with and without structural breaks and the Granger causality test.

Findings

– The findings suggest a positive unidirectional causality running from tourism development to economic growth in the short run. Thus, the authors find evidence for the tourism-led growth hypothesis (TLGH) in Lebanon despite the exposure of the country to frequent terrorist incidents. The impulse response functions reveal that tourism development (economic growth) responds positively to a positive shock to economic growth (tourism development).

Practical implications

– The findings call for Lebanese policy makers aiming at promoting growth to design policies that encourage tourism, such as implementing tourism marketing policies and building the needed tourism infrastructure. Such policies will have positive but transitory effects on economic growth. The findings may also be useful for regional representatives of intergovernmental organizations and the offices of statistics of United Nations World Tourism Organization and the World Bank to better understand the tourism industry in Lebanon and similar countries suffering from instabilities.

Originality/value

– This paper contributes to the existing literature in three points: despite the importance of the tourism industry to the Lebanese economy, this topic did not receive careful attention in the literature; it takes into consideration the presence of structural breaks and possible nonlinearities in the number of tourist arrivals; and it investigates the TLGH after accounting for instability in the country.
Power and empowerment in community-based tourism: opening Pandora’s box?
Authors: Simons Ilja , de Groot Ellen
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to highlight the different realities blended together in community-based tourism, and how storytelling can help us understand the resulting entanglement of actors and power. This paper combines a discussion of power and empowerment in community-based tourism with storytelling.

Design/methodology/approach

– The fictional narrative of Pandora’s box is used as a metaphor for power and empowerment in community-based tourism, which can leave communities worse off than before the introduction of tourism.

Findings

– However, the last thing remaining in Pandora’s box after all hardships had flown out, was hope. This paper also presents a hopeful perspective for community-based tourism in the form of another metaphor: the rhizome, which puts power and empowerment in a more dynamic and holistic frame. Just like in the original story of Pandora’s “jar” which gave voice to Pandora herself, within a rhizome, other players are regarded as valuable sources of tacit contextual knowledge.

Originality/value

– Storytelling and dialogue are recommended methods to obtain this knowledge. Using a storytelling perspective can encourage untold and unheard stories within a dialogue to be heard.
Intergenerational relationships and food consumption: the stories of young adults leaving home
Authors: Gram Malene , Hogg Margaret , Blichfeldt Bodil Stilling , MacLaran Pauline
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to address the meaning of food consumption practices in maintaining intergenerational relationships between young university students and their parents.

Design/methodology/approach

– Student food consumption has been mainly studied through quantitative methods, treating students as a homogenous group, more or less living in a vacuum, and often with the focus on nutrition. This paper gives voice to young adults to unpack the significance of cooking and food consumption in relation to maintaining or changing family ties. The study is based on 12 qualitative interviews, five focus groups and a workshop, with Danish and international students in Denmark. Theoretically, the study draws on family, consumption and transition research.

Findings

– The authors identify four realms of intergenerational relationships in the context of food. The relationships range from a wish either to maintain the status quo in the relationship, or to change and rethink the relationship, and importantly, the act of maintaining or changing the family relationships may be initiated either by the grown-up child or by the parent. The study concludes that the act of moving away from home is a period of intense (re)construction of food consumption habits and skills, which draw several threads back to the family home, and relationships undergo change in various ways.

Research limitations/implications

– The limitations of this study are that it has been carried out only in a Danish context.

Originality/value

– The contributions of the study are capturing the children’s view of this transition, and providing insights into how apparently mundane consumption can be full of symbolic meaning. The paper will be of interest for researchers and practitioners seeking to understand intergenerational relations and consumption.
Online environments in children’s everyday lives: children’s, parents’ and teachers’ points of view
Authors: Tuukkanen Terhi , Wilska Terhi-Anna
Published: April 2015

Purpose

– This article aims to explore the role of online environments in children’s everyday life. We examine the meanings that children aged 11-13, parents and teachers derive from their understanding of online environments and make a typology of the perceived opportunities and risks of the online environments for children. The research questions are: how do children, parents and teachers experience the effect of online environments on children’s everyday lives, what opportunities and risks for children are noticed in online environments and what similarities and differences are there in children’s, parents’ and teachers’ point of views in terms of opportunities and risks? The theoretical framework of the study consists of the discussion on opportunities and risks of using online environments.

Design/methodology/approach

– The data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews in Finland in 2012. Altogether, 27 interviews were conducted with children, parents and primary school teachers. The interview data were analysed with content analysis.

Findings

– As a result, we found four types of perceived effects that represent opportunities and risks: learning and socialization, sense of community and empowerment, antisocial behaviour and threat to security. According to this study, children, parents and teachers agree with each other in many issues concerning children’s use of the online environments. On the other hand, children also have issues and problems that parents and teachers may not be aware of, or they do not view them as important.

Originality/value

– This qualitative study focused on how children, parents and teachers described their subjective feelings about the effects of using the online environments. Thus, this study provides a new viewpoint on the research that has mostly relied on querying parents or teachers about children’s use of the Internet, neglecting children’s often different perspectives on the risks of the Internet.
The usefulness of semi‐solid medium in the isolation of highly virulent Leptospira strains from wild rats in an urban area of Fukuoka, Japan
Authors: Saito Mitsumasa , Villanueva Sharon Y. A. M. , Masuzawa Toshiyuki , Haraguchi Yusuke , Ita Shuhei , Miyahara Satoshi , Ozuru Ryo , Yamaguchi Takayoshi , Yoshimura Michinobu , Ikejiri Mami , Aramaki Natsumi , Amran Muhammad Yunus , Muslich Lisa Tenriesa , Iida Ken‐ichiro , Yanagihara Yasutake , Gloriani Nina G. , Yoshida Shin‐ichi
Published: April 2015

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonosis. The importance of urban leptospirosis is recognized in Japan: urban rats carry pathogenic leptospires and people acquire these pathogens through contact with surface water or soil contaminated by the urine of the infected animals. To determine the current Leptospira carriage rate in urban rats, 29 wild rats were trapped in the central area of Fukuoka and strains isolated from their kidneys and urine analyzed. When semi‐solid Korthof's medium containing 0.1% agar was used for isolation, 72.2% and 30.8% of the kidney and urine cultures, respectively, were found to be Leptospira‐positive. The isolates belonged to Leptospira interrogans, and were classified into two groups (serogroups Pomona and Icterohaemorrhagiae) based on the results of gyrB sequence analysis and microscopic agglutination testing (MAT). Strains belonging to serogroup Icterohemorrhagiae grew well in liquid medium. On the other hand, serogroup Pomona isolates multiplied very little in liquid medium, but did grow in a semi‐solid medium. Although strains belonging to serogroup Pomona have not been recognized as native to Japan, this strain may be widely distributed in urban rats. Representative strains from each group were found to be highly pathogenic to hamsters. Our findings should serve as a warning that it is still possible to become infected with leptospires from wild rats living in inner cities of Japan. Furthermore, the use of semi‐solid medium for culture will improve the isolation rate of leptospires from the kidneys of wild rats.
Reducing soil erosion by improving community functional diversity in semi‐arid grasslands
Authors: Zhu Huoxing , Fu Bojie , Wang Shuai , Zhu Linhai , Zhang Liwei , Jiao Lei , Wang Cong
Published: April 2015

Great efforts have been made to control soil erosion by restoring plant communities in degraded ecosystems world‐wide. However, soil erosion has not been substantially reduced mainly because current restoration strategies lead to large areas of mono‐specific vegetation, which are inefficient in reducing soil erosion because of their simple canopy and root structure. Therefore, an advanced understanding of how community functional composition affects soil erosion processes, as well as an improved restoration scheme to reduce soil erosion, is urgently needed.

We investigated the effect of community functional composition on soil erosion in restored semi‐arid grasslands on the Loess Plateau of China. Community functional composition of 16 restored grasslands was quantified by community‐weighted mean (CWM) and functional diversity (FD) trait values, which were calculated from nine plant functional traits of thirteen locally dominant plant species. Species richness and evenness were also measured. Soil erosion rates were measured using standard erosion plots. The multimodel inference approach was used to estimate the direction and the relative importance of these biodiversity indices in reducing soil erosion.

A robust and strong negative effect of functional divergence (FDiv) on soil erosion was found. The prevalence of particular trait combinations can also decrease soil erosion. The greatest control over soil erosion was exerted when the community mean root diameter was small and the root tensile strength was great.

Synthesis and applications: These findings imply that community functional diversity plays an important role in reducing soil erosion in semi‐arid restored grasslands. This means that current restoration strategies can be greatly improved by incorporating community functional diversity into restoration design. We propose a trait‐based restoration framework for reducing soil erosion, termed ‘SSM’ (Screening–Simulating–Maintaining). SSM aims to translate the target of community functional diversity into community assemblages that can be manipulated by practitioners. Based on this framework, a comprehensive procedure, highlighting functional diversity as the primary concern in determining optimal community assemblages, was developed to meet the pressing need for more effective restoration strategies to reduce soil erosion.
The effect of two different doses of remifentanil on postoperative pain and opioid consumption after cardiac surgery – a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Florkiewicz P. , Musialowicz T. , Pitkänen O. , Lahtinen P.
Published: April 2015

Background

Remifentanil, an ultra‐short‐acting opioid, provides intensive analgesia without prolonged respiratory depression and is widely used in cardiac surgery. Diminished dosing may also offer stable hemodynamics, even during sternotomy and sternal retraction. However, increased postoperative pain and induced opioid tolerance after remifentanil dosing during abdominal surgery was reported. We tested whether remifentanil 0.3 μg/kg/min infusion increased postoperative opioid consumption and pain compared to 0.1 μg/kg/min dosing.

Methods

Ninety coronary artery bypass grafting or heart valve surgery patients were randomized to remifentanil 0.1 μg/kg/min or 0.3 μg/kg/min infusions during surgery. All patients received oxycodone bolus 0.15 μg/kg postoperatively, and patient‐controlled analgesia (PCA) with oxycodone thereafter. Postoperative pain was estimated thrice daily by visual analogue scale, and 48‐h opioid consumption was recorded from the PCA‐device.

Results

Total remifentanil dosing was 64 μg/kg in the higher and 22 μg/kg in the lower dosing group during the 3‐h cardiac operations. Mean postoperative opioid consumption was 107 (SD 36) mg in the lower and 104 (SD 33) mg in the higher dose remifentanil groups. Postoperative pain did not differ between groups, at rest or during deep breathing, at any time (P = 0.110 and 0.941, respectively).

Conclusions

Remifentanil 0.3 μg/kg/min infusion did not increase postoperative pain or opioid consumption after cardiac surgery compared to the 0.1 μg/kg/min infusion. Remifentanil infusion 0.1–0.3 μg/kg/min during cardiac surgery was safe, with no exaggerated postoperative pain or opioid consumption.
Failed needle decompression of bilateral spontaneous tension pneumothorax
Authors: Bach P. T. , Sølling C.
Published: April 2015

This case report presents a young male admitted with primary bilateral spontaneous tension pneumothorax and severe respiratory distress. This is an extremely rare condition. The patient was on the verge of hypoxic cardiac arrest and the attempted needle thoracocentesis was unsuccessful. Needle thoracocentesis in the midclavicular line of the second intercostal space is widely used and recommended as first‐line treatment of tension pneumothorax. Reviewing the literature, the procedure is not based on solid evidence. It has high failure rates and potentially serious complications. Alternatives to this approach are perhaps more appropriate. Correctly done, needle thoracocentesis has its place in the presence of a diagnosed or suspected tension pneumothorax when no other options are available. If needle thoracocentesis is chosen, then insertion in the mid‐anterior axillary line of the 3rd–5th intercostal space is an appropriate alternative site. Otherwise, lateral thoracostomy, with or without chest tube insertion, is a safe procedure with a high success rate. It should be considered as the first‐line treatment of tension pneumothorax, particularly in the unstable patient.
Serum β‐hCG levels post‐treatment of ectopic pregnancy with a single dose of intramuscular methotrexate
Authors: Hadinata Ignatius E. , Doyle Lex W. , Thompson Derrick , Reti Leslie
Published: April 2015

Background

The cytotoxic management of ectopic pregnancy using a single dose of intramuscular methotrexate injection has been well established as effective for a select number of women with unruptured tubal ectopic pregnancy where there are minimal symptoms.

Aim

The purpose of this study was to create centile curves of serum β‐hCG levels following successful treatment with a single dose of 50 mg/m2 of intramuscular methotrexate to treat ectopic pregnancy.

Material and Methods

Data were retrieved from women treated at the Royal Women's Hospital for ectopic pregnancy between 2006 and 2012. Only women with minimal symptoms, initial serum β‐hCG ≤5000 IU/L and ectopic mass size of ≤35 mm on ultrasound were included. Two hundred and fifty‐three cases of ectopic pregnancy were analysed.

Results

Initial β‐hCG of women in the study ranged from 18 to 3995 IU/L with a median of 497 (25th to 75th centiles; 222–1160) IU/L. The median levels of β‐hCG levels at day 4, 7 and 14 postmethotrexate injection were 73.8, 47.2 and 10.4% of the initial β‐hCG level, respectively. The 90th centiles of β‐hCG levels at day 4, 7 and 14 were 124.7, 93.8 and 40.0% of initial β‐hCG level, respectively.

Conclusions

Whilst no comparison with those unsuccessfully treated was made, pending further validation studies, the use of these curves may reduce the reliance on specialist units and streamline care for many women with ectopic pregnancy, such as those whose β‐hCG regress in line with centile values without crossing a certain threshold.
Transthoracic echocardiographic assessment of haemodynamics in severe pre‐eclampsia and HIV in South Africa
Authors: Dennis A. T. , Dyer R. A. , Gibbs M. , Nel L. , Castro J. M. , Swanevelder J. L.
Published: April 2015

Haemodynamic and cardiac structural changes in severe pre‐eclampsia and in pregnant women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have not been clearly established. We performed transthoracic echocardiography on 105 women. Women with pre‐eclampsia demonstrated (mean (SD), untreated vs treated) preserved fractional shortening (40 (7.1)% vs 41 (8.6)%), a non‐dilated left ventricle (4.5 (0.49) cm vs 4.4 (0.44) cm), increased mitral valve E/septal e′ (10.5 (3.3) vs 10.6 (2.8)), and preserved tricuspid annular plane systolic exertion (2.6 (0.36) cm vs 2.4 (0.51) cm). Women with HIV infection demonstrated (mean (SD), HIV‐positive vs healthy) a reduced cardiac index (2.8 (0.64) ml.min−1.m−2 vs 3.1 (0.7) ml.min−1.m−2, p = 0.029), reduced septal s′ tissue Doppler velocity (8.5 (1.5) cm.s−1 vs 9.3 (1.7) cm.s−1, p = 0.042), increased left ventricular end‐diastolic area (7.6 (2.1) cm2 vs 6.3 (1.7) cm2, p = 0.004), and reduced right ventricular s′ and e′ velocity (s′ velocity 14.7 (3.1) cm.s−1 vs 7.0 (2.9) cm.s−1 p = 0.001, e′ velocity 16.3 (4.1) cm.s−1 vs 18.7 (3.4) cm.s−1, p = 0.013). The mitral value E/septal e′ was > 8 in 39% of patients with HIV. Fractional shortening (< 28%) was reduced in 10% of healthy women, and mitral valve E/septal e′ ratios were > 8 in 38% of that group. Women with pre‐eclampsia demonstrated preserved systolic function, with diastolic dysfunction. Women with HIV demonstrated reduced left and right ventricular systolic function, with increased ventricular dilatation.
Prenatal acquired cytomegalovirus infection should be considered in children with autism
Authors: Engman Mona‐Lisa , Sundin Mikael , Miniscalco Carmela , Westerlund Joakim , Lewensohn‐Fuchs Ilona , Gillberg Christopher , Fernell Elisabeth
Published: April 2015

Aim

The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of congenital cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) in a representative sample of children with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods

In a representative group of 115 preschool children with autism spectrum disorder, of whom 33 also had intellectual disability, the dried blood spots from the newborn metabolic screening were analysed for CMV DNA using TaqMan polymerase chain reaction.

Results

One of the 33 children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability – 3% of that group – had congenital CMV infection. The corresponding prevalence in newborn infants in Sweden is 0.2%. None of the 82 children without intellectual disability had congenital CMV.

Conclusion

The finding lends some further support for congenital CMV being one of the many aetiologies underlying autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability. The rate of 3% of congenital CMV in children with autism spectrum disorder with intellectual disability has implications for the medical work‐up. The finding of congenital CMV also indicates the need for repeated hearing assessments in the child. There is a need for similar studies with much larger samples.
Systematic review with meta‐analysis: Saccharomyces boulardii supplementation and eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection
Authors: Szajewska H. , Horvath A. , Kołodziej M.
Published: April 2015

Background

Unsatisfactory Helicobacter pylori eradication rates and therapy‐associated side effects remain a problem.

Aim

To update our 2010 meta‐analysis on the effects of Saccharomyces boulardii as supplementation to a standard eradication regimen on H. pylori eradication rates and therapy‐associated side effects.

Methods

The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched from July 2010 (end date of last search) to February 2015, with no language restrictions, for randomised controlled trials (RCTs); additional references were obtained from reviewed articles. Quality of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) guidelines.

Results

Eleven RCTs (2200 participants, among them 330 children) met the inclusion criteria. Of the 853 patients in the S. boulardii group, 679 (80%, 95% CI 77–82) experienced eradication compared with 608 of the 855 patients (71%, 95% CI 68–74) in the control group [relative risk (RR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06–1.17; moderate quality evidence]. S. boulardii compared with control reduced the risk of overall H. pylori therapy‐related adverse effects (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.31–0.64; moderate quality evidence), particularly of diarrhoea (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.42–0.62; high quality evidence) and nausea [RR 0.6, 95% CI 0.44–0.83 (moderate quality of evidence)].

Conclusions

In the populations studied, the effectiveness of standard triple therapy was unsatisfactory. The addition of S. boulardii significantly increased the eradication rate, but it was still below the desired level of success. Saccharomyces boulardii significantly decreased some therapy‐related side effects.
Evolving transcriptomic fingerprint based on genome‐wide data as prognostic tools in prostate cancer
Authors: Alshalalfa Mohammed , Schliekelman Mark , Shin Heesun , Erho Nicholas , Davicioni Elai
Published: April 2015

Background Information

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common disease but only a small subset of patients are at risk of developing metastasis and lethal disease, and identifying which patients will progress is challenging because of the heterogeneity underlying tumour progression. Understanding this heterogeneity at the molecular level and the resulting clinical impact is a critical step necessary for risk stratification. Defining genomic fingerprint elucidates molecular variation and may improve PCa risk stratification, providing more accurate prognostic information of tumour aggressiveness (or lethality) for prognostic biomarker development. Therefore, we explored transcriptomic differences between patients with indolent disease outcome and patients who developed metastasis post‐radical prostatectomy using genome‐wide expression data in the post radical prostatectomy clinical space before metastatic spread.

Results

Based on differential expression analysis, patients with adverse pathological findings who are at higher risk of developing metastasis have a distinct transcriptomic fingerprint that can be detected on surgically removed prostate specimens several years before metastasis detection. Nearly half of the transcriptomic fingerprint features were non‐coding RNA highlighting their pivotal role in PCa progression. Protein‐coding RNA features in the fingerprint are involved in multiple pathways including cell cycle, chromosome structure maintenance and cytoskeleton organisation. The metastatic transcriptomic fingerprint was determined in independent cohorts verifying the association between the fingerprint and metastatic patients. Further, the fingerprint was confirmed in metastasis lesions demonstrating that the fingerprint represents early metastatic transcriptomic changes, suggesting its utility as a prognostic tool to predict metastasis and provide clinical value in the early radical prostatectomy setting.

Conclusions

Here, we show that transcriptomic patterns of metastatic PCa exist that can be detected early after radical prostatectomy. This metastatic fingerprint has potential prognostic ability that can impact PCa treatment management potentially circumventing the requirements for unnecessary therapies.
Uterine malakoplakia diagnosed in a cervical Pap smear
Authors: Mirfazaelian H. , Shariat M. , Bedayat G. R. , Negahban S. , Daneshbod Y.
Published: April 2015

Numerous psammoma body‐like calcifications, intra and extra‐cytoplasmic laminated inclusions, inflammation and atrophy, suggested the diagnosis in this case.
Narrowing in categorical responding to other‐race face classes by infants
Authors: Quinn Paul C. , Lee Kang , Pascalis Olivier , Tanaka James W.
Published: April 2015

Infants can form object categories based on perceptual cues, but their ability to form categories based on differential experience is less clear. Here we examined whether infants filter through perceptual differences among faces from different other‐race classes and represent them as a single other‐race class different only from own‐race faces. We used a familiarization/novelty‐preference procedure to investigate category formation for two other‐race face classes (Black vs. Asian) by White 6‐ and 9‐month‐olds. The data indicated that while White 6‐month‐olds categorically represented the distinction between Black and Asian faces, White 9‐month‐olds formed a broad other‐race category inclusive of Black and Asian faces, but exclusive of own‐race White faces. The findings provide evidence that narrowing can occur for mental processes other than discrimination: category formation is also affected. The results suggest that frequency of experience with own‐race versus other‐race classes of faces may propel infants to contrast own‐race faces with other‐race faces, but not different classes of other‐race faces with each other.
A Less Gendered Access to Land? The Impact of Tanzania's New Wave of Land Reform
Authors: Pedersen Rasmus Hundsbæk
Published: April 2015

Contemporary land reforms in sub‐Saharan Africa tend to be evaluated based on the state‐centric reforms of the past, which disadvantaged women. However, this article argues that the new‐wave of land reforms and their decentralised administration institutions and anti‐discriminatory legal frameworks may be different. Based on field research on the implementation of Tanzania's 1999 Land Acts, it identifies an institutional reconfiguration in which the formal institutions are gradually strengthened and the customary institutions slowly changed. This does not in itself pose a threat to women's access to land and some women, who are otherwise often perceived to be weak, are left better‐off. Nevertheless, access to land becomes socially more uneven.
Safety and outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in myelofibrosis
Authors: Markiewicz Miroslaw , Dzierzak Mietla Monika , Wieczorkiewicz Agata , Mizia Sylwia , Helbig Grzegorz , Kopera Malgorzata , Bialas Krzysztof , Rybicka Malwina , Matyja Mariusz , Koclega Anna , Sedlak Lech , Oleksy Tomasz , Raman Sundar , Kyrcz‐Krzemien Slawomira
Published: April 2015

Objectives

We evaluated the safety and outcome of allo‐HSCTs in myelofibrosis (MF).

Methods

A total of 27 patients with primary (n = 20) or secondary (n = 7) MF, aged 51 (21–63) yr, transplanted from HLA‐matched related (59%) or unrelated (41%) donors were analyzed. Conditioning was reduced in 26 and myeloablative in one patient; and ATG was used in 25. Sources of stem cells were as follows: peripheral blood (21), bone marrow (4) or both (2).

Results

Prognostic factors that adversely affected overall survival (OS) in the multivariate analysis were as follows: recipient age >45 yr (HR = 10.55, P = 0.025) and unrelated donor (HR=3.73, P = 0.026). Post‐transplant transfusion dependence adversely affected OS in the univariate analysis: dependence from either both RBCs and platelets (HR = 33.26, P = 0.001) or from either of them (HR = 10.53, P = 0.043). Of 16 JAK2V617F‐positive patients evaluated post‐transplant, it was eradicated in 69% and decreased in 25%. Acute GVHD III‐IV developed in 19% and extensive chronic GVHD in 26% of patients; the relapse in four patients was treated with second allo‐HSCT. Spleen decreased in all evaluated patients (n = 24). Fibrotic changes improved or disappeared in 80% of evaluated patients (n = 10).

Conclusions

Allo‐HSCT may prolong survival, provide disease regression and improve quality of life in MF, especially in patients ≤45 yr transplanted from matched related donors. Achieving transfusion independence post‐transplant indicates the favorable outcome.
Anxiety‐provoked gait changes are selectively dopa‐responsive in Parkinson's disease
Authors: Ehgoetz Martens Kaylena A. , Ellard Colin G. , Almeida Quincy J.
Published: April 2015

In order to understand how dopamine modulates the effect of anxiety on gait, the goal of this study was to use virtual reality to provoke anxiety in Parkinson's disease (PD) (in both ON and OFF states) and quantify its effect on gait. Seventeen participants with PD and 20 healthy age‐matched controls were instructed to walk in a virtual environment in two anxiety‐provoking conditions: (i) across a plank that was located on the GROUND and (ii) across an ELEVATED plank. All participants with PD completed this experiment in both the ON and OFF states, and were then striated into groups based on baseline trait anxiety scores for further analyses. Anxiety (skin conductance and self‐report) and spatiotemporal aspects of gait were measured. Overall, the ELEVATED condition resulted in greater skin conductance levels and self‐reported anxiety levels. Additionally, all participants demonstrated slower gait with increased step‐to‐step variability when crossing the ELEVATED plank compared with the plank on the GROUND. The results showed that dopaminergic treatment selectively improved gait in only the highly anxious PD group, by significantly improving velocity, step length, step time and step‐to‐step variability specifically when walking across the ELEVATED plank (ON vs. OFF comparison). In conclusion, only highly trait anxious participants with PD benefitted from dopaminergic treatment, specifically when walking in the anxiety‐provoking environment. Improvements to gait during anxious walking might be a result of dopaminergic medication acting in two ways: (i) improving the basal ganglia's capacity to process information and (ii) reducing the load from anxiety and subsequently making more resources available to effectively process other competing inputs.
Sox4 participates in the modulation of Schwann cell myelination
Authors: Bartesaghi Luca , Arnaud Gouttenoire Estelle , Prunotto Andrea , Médard Jean‐Jacques , Bergmann Sven , Chrast Roman
Published: April 2015

In order to identify new regulators of Schwann cell myelination potentially playing a role in peripheral nervous system (PNS) pathologies, we analysed gene expression profiling data from three mouse models of demyelinating neuropathies and from the developing PNS. This analysis revealed that Sox4, which encodes a member of the Sry‐related high‐mobility group box protein family, was consistently upregulated in all three analysed models of neuropathy. Moreover, Sox4 showed a peak in its expression during development that corresponded with the onset of myelination. To gain further insights into the role of Sox4 in PNS development, we generated a transgenic mouse that specifically overexpresses Sox4 in Schwann cells. Sox4 overexpression led to a temporary delay in PNS myelination without affecting axonal sorting. Importantly, we observed that, whereas Sox4 mRNA could be efficiently overexpressed, Sox4 protein expression in Schwann cells was strictly regulated. Finally, our data showed that enforced expression of Sox4 in the mouse model for Charcot–Marie–Tooth 4C aggravated its neuropathic phenotype. Together, these observations reveal that Sox4 contributes to the regulation of Schwann cell myelination, and also indicates its involvement in the pathophysiology of peripheral neuropathies.
What do We Know about Family Interventions for Psychosis at the Process Level? A Systematic Review
Authors: Grácio Jaime , Gonçalves‐Pereira Manuel , Leff Julian
Published: April 2015

The evidence regarding effectiveness of family interventions for psychosis (FIP) is strong and consistent. However, there is a gap in the research on the process of these interventions, and little is known about their active ingredients. This review aims to identify the active ingredients of FIP. We conducted a systematic literature review, focusing on qualitative research, and analyzed 22 papers in total. We found a single study comprehensively exploring the process of FIP. All other studies focused on particular aspects of process‐related variables. The key elements of FIP seem to be the so‐called “common therapeutic factors”, followed by education about the illness and coping skills training. This review supports the value of a stepped model of intervention according to the needs of the families. However, the evidence reviewed also reveals a gap in the research findings based on the limited research available. FIP are complex, psychosocial interventions with multiple components, and more intensive, qualitative research is needed to establish linkages between process and outcome.
Influence of arachidonyl‐2′‐chloroethylamide, a selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist, on the anticonvulsant and acute side‐effect potentials of clobazam, lacosamide, and pregabalin in the maximal electroshock‐induced seizure model and chimney test in mice
Authors: Florek‐Luszczki Magdalena , Zagaja Miroslaw , Luszczki Jarogniew J.
Published: April 2015

The influence of arachidonyl‐2′‐chloroethylamide (ACEA – a selective cannabinoid CB1 receptor agonist) on the anticonvulsant potency and acute adverse‐effect potentials of clobazam, lacosamide, and pregabalin was determined in the maximal electroshock‐induced seizure model and chimney test in mice. ACEA (2.5 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly enhanced the anticonvulsant potency of pregabalin in the mouse maximal electroshock‐induced seizure model by decreasing the median effective dose (ED50) of pregabalin from 125.39 to 78.06 mg/kg (P < 0.05). In contrast, ACEA (2.5 mg/kg) had no significant impact on the anticonvulsant potency of clobazam and lacosamide in the mouse maximal electroshock‐induced seizure model. On the other hand, ACEA (2.5 mg/kg) did not affect acute adverse effects of clobazam, lacosamide or pregabalin, and the median toxic doses (TD50) for the studied anti‐epileptic drugs in combination with ACEA did not differ from the TD50 values as determined for the drugs administered alone in the chimney test. In conclusion, ACEA ameliorates the pharmacological profile of pregabalin, when considering both the anticonvulsant and the acute adverse effects of the drug in preclinical study on animals. The combination of pregabalin with ACEA can be of pivotal importance for patients with epilepsy as a potentially advantageous combination if the results from this study translate into clinical settings.