bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrating pharmaceutical systems strengthening in the current global health scenario: three ‘uncomfortable truths’
Authors: Hafner Tamara , Banda Marlon , Kohler Jillian , Babar Zaheer-Ud-Din , Lumpkin Murray , Adeyeye Mojisola Christianah , Nfor Emmanuel , Aboagye-Nyame Francis , Guzman Javier
Published: June 2020

The response to emergency public health challenges such as HIV, TB, and malaria has been successful in mobilising resources and scaling up treatment for communicable diseases. However, many of the remaining challenges in improving access to and appropriate use of medicines and services require pharmaceutical systems strengthening. Incorporating pharmaceutical systems strengthening into global health programmes requires recognition of a few ‘truths’. Systems strengthening is a lengthy and resource-intensive process that requires sustained engagement, which may not align with the short time frame for achieving targets in vertical-oriented programmes. Further, there is a lack of clarity on what key metrics associated with population and patient level outcomes should be tracked for systems strengthening interventions. This can hinder advocacy and communication with decision makers regarding health systems investments. Moving forward, it is important to find ways to balance the inherent tensions between the short-term focus on the efficiency of vertical programmes and broader, longer-term health and development objectives. Global health programme design should also shift away from a narrow view of medicines primarily as an input commodity to a more comprehensive view that recognizes the various structures and processes and their interactions within the broader health system that help ensure access to and appropriate use of medicines and related services.
Effect of parasitized prey on prey consumption, survival, growth, and development of Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) under laboratory conditions
Authors: Chatha Ahmad Manan Mustafa , Naz Saima
Published: June 2020

A study of interactions among natural enemies is important to develop a better biological control program. Among these interactions, one that is crucial is the consumption of parasitized prey by a predator. Feeding on aphid mummies could affect the predator as well as the parasitoid species. In this study, the effect of parasitized prey on prey consumption, survival, growth, and development of 4th instar larvae of the predatory species, Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), as an active predator of aphids, was studied. Moreover, the effect of parasitized and mummified aphids on female fecundity was also evaluated. The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae Sulzer (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was used. Obtained results showed that the parasitized aphids, as a predatory food, significantly affected the predator. The prey consumption was highest on parasitized (24.10 ± 0.53) and lowest on mummified (9.75 ± 0.40) aphids. The survival rate was in the order of non-parasitized > parasitized > mummified. The mass gained by the 4th instar larvae of C. septempunctata was in the order of parasitized (26.25 mg ± 0.89) > non-parasitized (19.25 mg ± 0.86) > mummified aphids (10.20 mg ± 0.52), when fed on different prey. Developmental time of the predator was recorded highest, when it consumed mummified aphids (13.6 ± 0.39). As well, female fecundity was affected positively. The female was observed to lay the most eggs (323.55 ± 1.57) to have the highest number of hatched eggs (38.70 ± 0.92), and to have the highest egg mass (196.10 μg ± 1.22), when it consumed the parasitized aphids in contrast to non-parasitized and mummified aphids. It was also found that the type of prey did not affect the incubation period of the eggs.
Extent of spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper (
Piper nigrum
L.) in Morogoro District, Tanzania
Authors: Shango Abdul Jafari , Majubwa Ramadhani Omari , Maerere Amon Petro
Published: June 2020

Background

Pepper (
Piper nigrum
L.) is an important spice produced by small-scale farmers in Morogoro district of Tanzania for both local and export markets. Recently, farmers have reported a decline in crop productivity due to spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper plants. The study was conducted to obtain baseline information on the extent of the disorders.

Methods

An altitudinal transect survey was conducted in Morogoro district from October to November 2018. Data were collected from 216 pepper farmers through a questionnaire, focus group discussions, and field observations. Chi square tests (α = 0.05) were used to compare differences between gender, pepper cultivars by wards and yield, spike shedding and stem wilting by pepper cultivars and plant species used to support pepper vines. Fisher’s exact test at (α = 0.05) was used to compare the effects of production constraints and altitude. A regression analysis was performed to explore the relationship between altitude and the incidence of spike shedding and stem wilting.

Results

The majority of interviewees (69%) had observed spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper on their farms for > 3 years. Spike shedding was more prominent at 300 meters above sea level (masl, 85.7%), while stem wilting was reported by most (66.7%) farmers at 457 masl. The most affected pepper cultivar was reported to be “Babu kati” in Mtombozi (19.2% of respondents) and “Ismailia” in Mkuyuni and Kibogwa (28.9% of respondents) wards, while in Kibungo ward cultivar “Babu ndogo” (85.7% of respondents) and in Konde ward cultivar “Babu kubwa” (53.8% of respondents) were most affected. Approximately 53% of respondents reporting the disorders used Jatropha to support the pepper vines, and 93% of the farmers reported the disorders to occur during the dry season. A greater proportion of the interviewed farmers (92.1%) reported applying no measures to control spike shedding and stem wilting of pepper.

Conclusions

Incidence of spike shedding and stem wilting was higher at a low altitude compared to high altitude areas. The magnitude of the disorders differed among pepper cultivars regardless of support plants species used. Poor adoption of key agronomic practices and lack of any information on control measures may be contributing to the high incidence of the disorders in the study area. The study demonstrates the extent of the problem, and provides a baseline for identifying the causal agent(s) of spike shedding and stem wilting, which in turn will allow appropriate control measures to be selected.
Envisioning a future for transgender and gender-diverse people beyond the DSM
Authors: Perlson Jacob E. , Walters Oakland C. , Keuroghlian Alex S.
Published: June 2020

This editorial describes current considerations regarding psychiatric diagnoses for transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) people. In addition to offering an assessment of the limitations in current diagnostic standards, the authors articulate a vision for psychiatric practice marked by renewed commitment to an affirmative framework that reduces stigma.
Efficacy and Safety of Vandetanib in Progressive and Symptomatic Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Post Hoc Analysis From the ZETA Trial
Authors: Kreissl Michael C. , Bastholt Lars , Elisei Rossella , Haddad Robert , Hauch Ole , Jarząb Barbara , Robinson Bruce , Colzani Raffaella , Foster Meredith , Weiss Richard , Schlumberger Martin
Published: June 2020

PURPOSE

We conducted a post hoc analysis of the vandetanib phase III trial involving patients with advanced medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) to assess the efficacy and safety of vandetanib in patients with progressive and symptomatic MTC. The primary objective of the analysis was to determine progression-free survival (PFS) of these patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eligible patients from the ZETA trial were divided into 4 disease severity subgroups: progression and symptoms, symptoms only, progression only, and no progression and no symptoms assessed at baseline. PFS, determined from objective tumor measurements performed by the local investigator, overall survival (OS), time to worsening of pain (TWP), and objective response rate (ORR) were evaluated.

RESULTS

Of the 331 patients in this trial, 184 had symptomatic and progressive disease at baseline. In this subgroup, results were similar in magnitude to those observed in the overall trial for PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28 to 0.64; P < .0001), OS (HR, 1.08; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.61; P = .71), and TWP (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.43 to 1.04; P = .07), and the observed adverse events were consistent with the known safety profile of vandetanib. In this subgroup, the ORR was 37% in the treatment arm versus 2% in the placebo arm.

CONCLUSION

Vandetanib demonstrated clinical benefit—specifically, increased PFS—in patients with symptomatic and progressive MTC.
Identifying Cancer Care Team Competencies to Improve Care Coordination in Multiteam Systems: A Modified Delphi Study
Authors: Chollette Veronica , Weaver Sallie J. , Huang Grace , Tsakraklides Sophia , Tu Shin-Ping
Published: June 2020

PURPOSE:

Identifying nontechnical, teamwork competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) underlying coordination within and across the network of teams—or multiteam system (MTS) involved in cancer care is foundational to optimizing high-quality cancer care.

METHODS:

A multidisciplinary group of cancer care stakeholders refined an initial list of competency statements during three rounds of a web-based modified Delphi survey.

RESULTS:

Panelists reached consensus on a final list of four domains and 20 associated team-based competencies important for effective coordination in cancer care MTS.

CONCLUSION:

This study provides an initial foundation for testing, modifying, measuring and evaluating the impact of identified competencies on care coordination, outcomes, and costs, for people being screened, treated, or surviving cancer.
Opportunities and Challenges for Analyzing Cancer Data at the Inter- and Intra-Institutional Levels
Authors: Wu Julie , Bryan Jordan , Rubinstein Samuel M. , Wang Lucy , Lenoue-Newton Michele , Zuhour Raed , Levy Mia , Micheel Christine , Xu Yaomin , Bhavnani Suresh K. , Mackey Lester , Warner Jeremy L.
Published: June 2020

PURPOSE

Our goal was to identify the opportunities and challenges in analyzing data from the American Association of Cancer Research Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (GENIE), a multi-institutional database derived from clinically driven genomic testing, at both the inter- and the intra-institutional level. Inter-institutionally, we identified genotypic differences between primary and metastatic tumors across the 3 most represented cancers in GENIE. Intra-institutionally, we analyzed the clinical characteristics of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) subset of GENIE to inform the interpretation of GENIE as a whole.

METHODS

We performed overall cohort matching on the basis of age, ethnicity, and sex of 13,208 patients stratified by cancer type (breast, colon, or lung) and sample site (primary or metastatic). We then determined whether detected variants, at the gene level, were associated with primary or metastatic tumors. We extracted clinical data for the VICC subset from VICC’s clinical data warehouse. Treatment exposures were mapped to a 13-class schema derived from the HemOnc ontology.

RESULTS

Across 756 genes, there were significant differences in all cancer types. In breast cancer, ESR1 variants were over-represented in metastatic samples (odds ratio, 5.91; q < 10−6). TP53 mutations were over-represented in metastatic samples across all cancers. VICC had a significantly different cancer type distribution than that of GENIE but patients were well matched with respect to age, sex, and sample type. Treatment data from VICC was used for a bipartite network analysis, demonstrating clusters with a mix of histologies and others being more histology specific.

CONCLUSION

This article demonstrates the feasibility of deriving meaningful insights from GENIE at the inter- and intra-institutional level and illuminates the opportunities and challenges of the data GENIE contains. The results should help guide future development of GENIE, with the goal of fully realizing its potential for accelerating precision medicine.
Alterations of the GH/IGF-I Axis and Gut Microbiome after Traumatic Brain Injury: A New Clinical Syndrome?
Authors: Yuen Kevin C J , Masel Brent E , Reifschneider Kent L , Sheffield-Moore Melinda , Urban Randall J , Pyles Richard B
Published: June 2020

Context

Pituitary dysfunction with abnormal growth hormone (GH) secretion and neurocognitive deficits are common consequences of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Recognizing the comorbidity of these symptoms is of clinical importance; however, efficacious treatment is currently lacking.

Evidence Acquisition

A review of studies in PubMed published between January 1980 to March 2020 and ongoing clinical trials was conducted using the search terms “growth hormone,” “traumatic brain injury,” and “gut microbiome.”

Evidence Synthesis

Increasing evidence has implicated the effects of TBI in promoting an interplay of ischemia, cytotoxicity, and inflammation that renders a subset of patients to develop postinjury hypopituitarism, severe fatigue, and impaired cognition and behavioral processes. Recent data have suggested an association between abnormal GH secretion and altered gut microbiome in TBI patients, thus prompting the description of a hypothesized new clinical syndrome called “brain injury associated fatigue and altered cognition.” Notably, these patients demonstrate distinct characteristics from those with GH deficiency from other non-TBI causes in that their symptom complex improves significantly with recombinant human GH treatment, but does not reverse the underlying mechanistic cause as symptoms typically recur upon treatment cessation.

Conclusion

The reviewed data describe the importance of alterations of the GH/insulin-like growth factor I axis and gut microbiome after brain injury and its influence in promoting neurocognitive and behavioral deficits in a bidirectional relationship, and highlight a new clinical syndrome that may exist in a subset of TBI patients in whom recombinant human GH therapy could significantly improve symptomatology. More studies are needed to further characterize this clinical syndrome.
The “Pursuit of Knowledge” and the Paradoxes of Postcolonial Encyclopedism in Zia Haider Rahman’s In the Light of What We Know
Authors: Bergholtz Benjamin
Published: June 2020

The author argues that Zia Haider Rahman’s In the Light of What We Know (2014) is an encyclopedic narrative that encourages and interrogates the pursuit of knowledge. Rahman achieves this feat by creating a deceptive dialogue revolving around knowledge and narrative. While his characters’ analysis of everything from America’s intervention in Afghanistan to Gödel’s incompleteness theorem illustrates the ways in which the light of history, metaphor, and narrative (mis) shape the pursuit of knowledge, our own knowledge is limited by the history and metaphors of our twin narrators. The conflict between the search for knowledge and the inadequacies of narrative would appear to doom the encyclopedism of Rahman’s characters and readers alike, but the novel complicates this conclusion. Rather than refuting or embracing the pursuit of knowledge, In the Light fosters a uniquely postcolonial approach to encyclopedism that is simultaneously curious and cautious, polymathic and prudent, wide-reaching and reflective. This “postcolonial encyclopedism,” as he calls it, helps us recognize that encyclopedic narrative, a genre long associated with the giants of European and American literature, may be a potentially empowering, if ambivalent, mode of inquiry for postcolonial and global authors in the twenty-first century.
Afropolitanism
Authors: Mbembe Achille
Published: June 2020

African discourse has been dominated for almost a century by three politico-intellectual paradigms: anticolonial nationalism, various reinterpretations of Marxism, and a Pan-African sphere of influence that gave special place to two types of solidarity—a racial and transnational solidarity, and an international and anti-imperialist solidarity. In addressing the question, “Who is African and who is not?,” the author reminds readers that traces of Africa cover the face of the capitalist and Islamic worlds. The precolonial history of African societies is a history of colliding cultures and can hardly be understood outside the paradigm of itinerancy, mobility, and displacement. In addition to the forced migrations of the previous centuries, there have also been migrations driven by colonization. Today, millions of people of African origin are citizens of various countries of the world—a historical phenomenon he calls worlds in movement. Awareness of the interweaving of the here and there; embracing, with full knowledge of the facts, strangeness, foreignness, and remoteness; the ability to recognize one’s face in that of a foreigner and to make the most of the traces of remoteness in closeness; to domesticate the unfamiliar; to work with what seem to be opposites—it is this cultural, historical, and aesthetic sensitivity that underlies the term Afropolitanism—a political and cultural stance in relation to the nation, to race, and to the issue of difference in general. Today, many Africans live outside Africa or live on the continent but not necessarily in their countries of birth. They have had the opportunity to experience several worlds. They are developing a transnational culture the author calls “Afropolitan.”
Nationalism and Cosmopolitanism
Authors: Sanches Manuela Ribeiro
Published: June 2020

Cosmopolitanism has been invoked to stress the potential advantages of thinking beyond the nation with regard to human rights, diasporic or intellectual affinities, as well as other forms of affiliation. However, nationalism does not have to amount to a mere manifestation of ethnic or xenophobic closure, and it may foreground an effective cosmopolitanism that ensures social rights on a local and a transnational level. The author considers not only the European nationalist tradition but also the ways in which it was appropriated and redefined in non-European places as a condition of the possibility for more effective transnational, cosmopolitan alliances.
The Universal Museum
Authors: El-Tayeb Fatima
Published: June 2020

This article addresses the long-term impact of colonialism on Europe’s internal structures and on its self-positioning in a global context. Using the 2015 refugee crisis as a focal point and centering the German example, the author explores the complex relationship between memory discourses and visions of Germany’s and Europe’s postunification future. The author argues that the erasure of colonial violence from the continent’s collective memory has a direct, negative impact on its ability to let go of a racialized identity that is in increasing tension with Europe’s actual multiracial and multireligious composition. The article traces this dynamic around the example of the non-European collections in Berlin’s Museum Island and the future Humboldt Forum, conceptualized as the world’s largest “universal museum.” The narratives through which this art is integrated into Europe’s cultural heritage are in stark contrast to those that simultaneously defined the refugees, who arrived from the same region in which the art originated, as fundamentally different and threatening. The narratives intersect in the Multaqa initiative, which offers Arab language tours of Museum Island to refugees, and in the controversy around the site of the Humboldt Forum and the colonial art it is meant to house.
Practicing Art in Revolutionary Times
Authors: Shehab Bahia
Published: June 2020

The article highlights the dialogue that took place in 2011–13 between the street and cyberspace and the government and the revolutionaries during the first wave of the Egyptian revolution. In this personal account of the Egyptian uprising, the author describes the unfolding political and social events and climate during the revolution, highlighting key factions at play and taking into account the reactions of protestors online and on the street. Examples of how the revolution was driven online by archival research, music videos, comedians, memes, graffiti, and symbols of martyrdom are paralleled with an account of the protests on the street and events that were unfolding at the time. Describing the environment of censorship and strategies used by the government to block dissent, the author provides stories of how different groups who were part of the revolution retaliated. The article can be considered a screen shot of a revolution that inspired the world but met an expected end.
A machine vision system for tracking population behavior of zooplankton in small-scale experiments: a case study on salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer, 1838) copepodite population responses to different light stimuli
Authors: Kvæstad Bjarne , Nordtug Trond , Hagemann Andreas
Published: June 2020

To achieve efficient and preventive measures against salmon lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis Krøyer, 1838) infestation, a better understanding of behavioral patterns of the planktonic life stages is key. To investigate light responses in L. salmonis copepodites, a non-intrusive experimental system was designed to measure behavioral responses in a 12.5-l volume using machine vision technology and methodology. The experimental system successfully tracked the collective movement patterns of the sea lice population during exposure to different light stimuli emitted from alternating zones in the system. This system could further be used to study behavioral responses to different physical cues of various developmental stages of sea lice or other zooplankton.
Identification and characterization of cellular heterogeneity within the developing renal interstitium
Authors: England Alicia R. , Chaney Christopher P. , Das Amrita , Patel Mohita , Malewska Alicia , Armendariz Daniel , Hon Gary C. , Strand Douglas W. , Drake Keri A. , Carroll Thomas J.
Published: June 2020

Kidney formation requires the coordinated growth of multiple cell types including the collecting ducts, nephrons, vasculature and interstitium. There is a long-held belief that interactions between progenitors of the collecting ducts and nephrons are primarily responsible for kidney development. However, over the last several years, it has become increasingly clear that multiple aspects of kidney development require signaling from the interstitium. How the interstitium orchestrates these various roles is poorly understood. Here, we show that during development the interstitium is a highly heterogeneous patterned population of cells that occupies distinct positions correlated to the adjacent parenchyma. Our analysis indicates that the heterogeneity is not a mere reflection of different stages in a linear developmental trajectory but instead represents several novel differentiated cell states. Further, we find that β-catenin has a cell autonomous role in the development of a medullary subset of the interstitium and that this non-autonomously affects the development of the adjacent epithelia. These findings suggest the intriguing possibility that the different interstitial subtypes may create microenvironments that play unique roles in development of the adjacent epithelia and endothelia.
Early evidence of delayed oligodendrocyte maturation in the mouse model of mucolipidosis type IV
Authors: Mepyans Molly , Andrzejczuk Livia , Sosa Jahree , Smith Sierra , Herron Shawn , DeRosa Samantha , Slaugenhaupt Susan A. , Misko Albert , Grishchuk Yulia , Kiselyov Kirill
Published: June 2020

Mucolipidosis type IV (MLIV) is a lysosomal disease caused by mutations in the MCOLN1 gene that encodes the endolysosomal transient receptor potential channel mucolipin-1, or TRPML1. MLIV results in developmental delay, motor and cognitive impairments, and vision loss. Brain abnormalities include thinning and malformation of the corpus callosum, white-matter abnormalities, accumulation of undegraded intracellular ‘storage’ material and cerebellar atrophy in older patients. Identification of the early events in the MLIV course is key to understanding the disease and deploying therapies. The Mcoln1−/− mouse model reproduces all major aspects of the human disease. We have previously reported hypomyelination in the MLIV mouse brain. Here, we investigated the onset of hypomyelination and compared oligodendrocyte maturation between the cortex/forebrain and cerebellum. We found significant delays in expression of mature oligodendrocyte markers Mag, Mbp and Mobp in the Mcoln1−/− cortex, manifesting as early as 10 days after birth and persisting later in life. Such delays were less pronounced in the cerebellum. Despite our previous finding of diminished accumulation of the ferritin-bound iron in the Mcoln1−/− brain, we report no significant changes in expression of the cytosolic iron reporters, suggesting that iron-handling deficits in MLIV occur in the lysosomes and do not involve broad iron deficiency. These data demonstrate very early deficits of oligodendrocyte maturation and critical regional differences in myelination between the forebrain and cerebellum in the mouse model of MLIV. Furthermore, they establish quantitative readouts of the MLIV impact on early brain development, useful to gauge efficacy in pre-clinical trials.
Adhesive plasticity among populations of purple sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus)
Authors: Stark Alyssa Y. , Narvaez Carla A. , Russell Michael P.
Published: June 2020

Sea urchins native to the nearshore open-coast experience periods of high, repeated wave forces that can result in dislodgement. To remain attached while clinging and locomoting across rocky substrates, sea urchins use adhesive tube feet. Purple sea urchins (Strongylocentrotus purpuratus) adhere to a variety of rock substrates (e.g., sandstone, mudstone, granite), and display morphological plasticity (skeletal morphology) to native substrate. We tested the hypothesis that their adhesive system is also plastic and varies as a function of native population and substrate. The results of our study support our hypothesis. Sea urchins from sandstone adhere less strongly to most substrates than those native to mudstone and granite rock. Sandstone produced the lowest whole animal adhesive force values across all populations, suggesting that this rock type is particularly challenging for sea urchins to adhere to. The number of adhesive tube feet that failed during experimental trials and the area used by sea urchins to attach, matches closely with whole animal adhesive force values: higher forces resulted in more tube foot failure and larger attachment area. On artificial substrates (glass and plexiglass), differences in adhesion among populations was consistent with differences in adhesion on rock substrates except on glass, where sea urchins native to sandstone adhered more strongly to glass than any other substrate tested. To our knowledge, this study is the first to describe population-level plasticity in a biological adhesive system related to native substrate, and has significant implications for sea urchin ecology, behavior, and functional morphology.
Inverse-Sandwich Cyclobutadiene Dinickel Complexes: Synthesis and Structural Characterization
Authors: Yu Chao , Wu Botao , Yang Zhenqiang , Chen Hui , Zhang Wen-Xiong , Xi Zhenfeng
Published: June 2020

Synthesis and structural characterization of inverse-sandwich complexes, whose planar conjugated ligand is a cyclobutadiene, have attracted much attention for their unique chemical bonding modes and synthetic methods. In this article, a new class of inverse sandwich cyclobutadiene dinickel complexes, the first case of inverse sandwich cyclobutadiene complexes with transition metals, were synthesized from the reaction of dilithio reagents with NiBr2. Magnetometry and DFT calculations have revealed that the two nickel centers have antiferromagnetic coupling with each other and there exists electron back donation from the Ni(3d) orbitals to the π* orbital of the cyclobutadiene ligand. Besides, the inverse sandwich cyclobutadiene dinickel complex could be reversed, being transformed to its corresponding normal sandwich complex, the bis(cyclobutadiene) nickel complex.
Delayed contrast dynamics as marker of regional impairment in pulmonary fibrosis using 5D MRI - a pilot study
Authors: Buzan Maria TA , Wetscherek Andreas , Rank Christopher M , Kreuter Michael , Heussel Claus Peter , Kachelrieß Marc , Dinkel Julien
Published: June 2020

Objective:

To analyse delayed contrast dynamics of fibrotic lesions in interstitial lung disease (ILD) using five dimensional (5D) MRI and to correlate contrast dynamics with disease severity.

Methods:

20 patients (mean age: 71 years; M:F, 13:7), with chronic fibrosing ILD: n = 12 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and n = 8 non-IPF, underwent thin-section multislice CT as part of the standard diagnostic workup and additionally MRI of the lung. 2 min after contrast injection, a radial gradient echo sequence with golden-angle spacing was acquired during 5 min of free-breathing, followed by 5D image reconstruction. Disease was categorized as severe or non-severe according to CT morphological regional severity. For each patient, 10 lesions were analysed.

Results:

IPF lesions showed later peak enhancement compared to non-IPF (severe: p = 0.01, non-severe: p = 0.003). Severe lesions showed later peak enhancement compared to non-severe lesions, in non-IPF (p = 0.04), but not in IPF (p = 0.35). There was a tendency towards higher accumulation and washout rates in IPF compared to non-IPF in non-severe disease. Severe lesions had lower washout rate than non-severe ones in both IPF (p = 0.003) and non-IPF (p = 0.005). Continuous contrast agent accumulation, without washout, was found only in IPF lesions.

Conclusions:

Contrast agent dynamics are influenced by type and severity of pulmonary fibrosis, which might enable a more thorough characterisation of disease burden. The regional impairment is of particular interest in the context of antifibrotic treatments and was characterised using a non-invasive, non-irradiating, free-breathing method.

Advances in knowledge:

Delayed contrast enhancement patterns allow the assessment of regional lung impairment which could represent different disease stages or phenotypes in ILD.
Sea turtle strandings, sightings and accidental catch along the Croatian Adriatic coast
Authors: HAMA FEITOUMATT LEMATT , KARAICA DEAN , KARAICA BOJAN , RODIĆ PETRA , JELIĆ KATJA , MAHEČIĆ IVANA , JELIĆ DUŠAN
Published: June 2020

The northern Adriatic Sea has long been known as the foraging and developmental habitat of loggerhead sea turtles. Previous literature on stranded, floating, sighted, and accidentally caught sea turtles is fragmentary and mainly obtained from this shallower northern part. This work presents data on 272 records of stranded, floating, sighted and accidentally captured turtles within the entire Croatian Adriatic. The data was collected through the national stranding network for strictly protected marine species run by the Croatian Agency for the Environment and Nature during a six-year period (2010-2015). We focused on analysing spatial and temporal observations, age structure, and reporting sources. The collected morphometric data revealed that most measured C. caretta (85%) were immature individuals found stranded and floating at sea. These observations were location-dependent with a tendency towards the shallow northern areas (≤200 m). Most of the stranded individuals were severely decomposed preventing the determination of possible mortality causes. Most non-decomposed individuals had fishery- or boat-inflicted mechanical injuries confirming fishing activities and boat collisions as threats to young C. caretta individuals in the Croatian Adriatic Sea. Results also revealed an important contribution of local people in reporting the C. caretta strandings and sightings whereas most accidentally caught individuals were reported by unknown sources. Altogether, the data presented in this paper indicate possibilities for improving the ongoing sea turtle monitoring and conservation activities along the entire Croatian Adriatic coast.
Case Report: Multifocal non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features presenting in a female child
Authors: Abdou Asmaa Gaber , Aiad Hayam , Asaad Nancy
Published: June 2020

Non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) was introduced as a separate entity by the World Health Organization in 2017 with strict inclusion and exclusion criteria.  Most NIFTP cases have been reported in adults and few cases have been diagnosed in children. Here, we present a classic case of NIFTP affecting a 10-year old female child. We also review previous reports of NIFTP in children regarding size, focality, nodal metastasis, recurrence, type of operation and follow-up data. The present report adds a new case of NIFTP in the paediatric age group characterized by multifocality, absence of nodal invasion and indolent course until last follow-up, recommending less aggressive management.
Case Report: A forty year-survivor of Tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia and chronic pediatric shunt thrombosis; findings from cardiac CT scan
Authors: Asma Achour , Mnari Walid , Abdelali Mabrouk , Zrig Ahmed , Miladi Ahmed , Ben Messaoud Mejdi , Hmida Badii , Maatouk Mezri
Published: June 2020

Here we illustrate a rare case of Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia in a 40-year-old survivor patient, despite a chronic pediatric shunt thrombosis. The patient became symptomatic at 38-years-old with progressive dyspnea on exertion and short cyanosis spells. The clinical findings were unspecific except for sinus tachycardia. To reassess cardiac abnormalities and associated intrathoracic malformations, a cardiac CT-scan was performed. Here we explain the mechanism for prolonged survival as an expansion of several and huge major aortopulmonary collateral arteries. This case predicts an exceptional late outcome of untreated TOF.
Isothermal drying characteristics and kinetics of human faecal sludges
Authors: Somorin Tosin , Getahun Samuel , Septien Santiago , Mabbet Ian , Kolios Athanasios , Buckley Chris
Published: June 2020

Background: Drying is an important step for the thermochemical conversion of solid fuels, but it is energy-intensive for treating highly moist materials.

Methods: To inform the thermal treatment of faecal sludge (FS), this study investigated the drying characteristics and kinetics of various faecal wastes using thermogravimetric analysis and isothermal heating conditions.

Results: The findings show that FS from anaerobic baffled reactor (ABR) and ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrines exhibit similar drying characteristics, with maximum drying rates at 0.04 mg/min during a constant rate period that is followed by a distinct falling rate period. On the contrary, fresh human faeces (HF) and FS from urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDT) exhibited a falling rate period regime with no prior or intermittent constant rate periods. The absence of constant rate period in these samples suggested limited amounts of unbound water that can be removed by dewatering and vice versa for VIP and ABR faecal sludges. The activation energies and effective moisture diffusivity for the sludges varied from 20 to 30 kJ/mol and 3∙10-7 to 1∙10-5 m2/s at 55°C and sludge thickness of 3mm. The Page model was consistent in modelling the different sludges across all temperatures.

Conclusions: These results presented in this study can inform the design and development of innovative drying methods for FS treatment.
Preliminary findings on the associations between mental health indicators and social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Gonçalves André , Zuanazzi Ana Carolina , Salvador Ana Paula , Jaloto Alexandre , Pianowski Giselle , Carvalho Lucas
Published: June 2020

Aim of the study

Our study investigates associations between social isolation and indicators of general mental health, well-being, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and stress in Brazilian adults. Variables to measure aspects to ease the isolation impact (ease-isolating variables) were also included.

Subject or material and methods

539 Brazilian adults were recruited by convenience from March 25 to April 07, 2020. We administered a questionnaire on isolation behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO-5, the GHQ-12, the CLA, the GAD-7, the PSS-10, and the CES-D. To analyze data, we relied upon the network analysis approach.

Results

COVID-19 isolation variables showed positive relationships with mental health indicators, and ease-isolating variables presented mixed associations with mental health indicators. For instance, satisfaction with the quality of social interactions connected strongly and positively with the well-being variable, while negatively with loneliness and general psychological symptoms.

Discussion

Our hypotheses were partially confirmed.

Conclusions

We can conclude that the damage to mental health associated with social isolation during the pandemic can be minimized by maintaining satisfactory interpersonal relationships. We have three direct recommendations: mental health professionals should (a) elaborate strategies that contemplate the use of virtual tools to alleviate depressive feelings resulting from isolation, (b) give particular attention to risk groups that are most impacted by the isolation imposed by a pandemic situation and may suffer from loneliness, and (c) consider anxiety control strategies for the anxiogenic adverse reaction generated by the worldwide alert in times of disease outbreaks.
Apoio social e prática de atividade física no lazer em adolescentes: um estudo de base populacional
Authors: Peixoto Márcio Botelho , Knuth Alan Goularte , Silva Inácio Crochemore Mohnsam da , Hallal Pedro Curi
Published: June 2020

O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a associação entre a prática de atividade física (AF) no lazer e o apoio social em adolescentes de 10 a 19 anos. O estudo transversal, de base populacional, foi realizado em Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul. Foram considerados ativos os adolescentes que realizavam no mínimo 300 minutos semanais de AF no lazer. O apoio social foi estudado através da Escala de Apoio Social para a Atividade Física. Foram entrevistados 743 adolescentes. A proporção de ativos no lazer foi de 28,2% (IC 95%: 24,6-31,3). Meninos com maior apoio social de amigos apresentaram uma probabilidade de 112% (IC 95%: 41,0-183,0) maior de serem ativos em comparação a seus pares com menor apoio social. Meninas com apoio social elevado de familiares tiveram uma probabilidade de 102% (IC 95%: 12,0-193,0) maior de serem ativas. O percentual equivalente entre os meninos foi de 44% (IC 95%: 8,0-103,0). O incentivo de familiares e amigos exerce influência na prática de AF e apresenta questões culturais, como a indução de meninas para caminhadas e meninos para outras AF, especialmente dos amigos.
Learning from Many: Partner Exposure and Team Familiarity in Fluid Teams
Authors: Akşin Zeynep , Deo Sarang , Jónasson Jónas Oddur , Ramdas Kamalini
Published: June 2020

In services where teams come together for short collaborations, managers are often advised to strive for high team familiarity so as to improve coordination and consequently, performance. However, inducing high team familiarity by keeping team membership intact can limit workers’ opportunities to acquire useful knowledge and alternative practices from exposure to a broader set of partners. We introduce an empirical measure for prior partner exposure and estimate its impact (along with that of team familiarity) on operational performance using data from the London Ambulance Service. Our analysis focuses on ambulance transports involving new paramedic recruits, where exogenous changes in team membership enable identification of the performance effect. Specifically, we investigate the impact of prior partner exposure on time spent during patient pickup at the scene and patient handover at the hospital. We find that the effect varies with the process characteristics. For the patient pickup process, which is less standardized, greater partner exposure directly improves performance. For the more standardized patient handover process, this beneficial effect is triggered beyond a threshold of sufficient individual experience. In addition, we find some evidence that this beneficial performance impact of prior partner exposure is amplified during periods of high workload, particularly for the patient handover process. Finally, a counterfactual analysis based on our estimates shows that a team formation strategy emphasizing partner exposure outperforms one that emphasizes team familiarity by about 9.2% in our empirical context.

This paper was accepted by Jay Swaminathan, operations management.
Fleet Coordination in Decentralized Humanitarian Operations Funded by Earmarked Donations
Authors: Pedraza-Martinez Alfonso J. , Hasija Sameer , Van Wassenhove Luk N.
Published: June 2020

An operational mechanism design for fleet management coordination in humanitarian operations
Participating in the personal care of a person living with a life-limiting illness in a hospice inpatient setting: the informal caregiver's perspective
Authors: McPherson Lorraine , Milligan Stuart , Stevens Elaine
Published: June 2020

Methods:

Using semi-structured interviews, this descriptive qualitative research study examined informal caregivers' perspectives of participating in the personal care of a person living with a life-limiting illness within one hospice inpatient setting. Some 10 principal, informal caregivers of hospice inpatients were recruited by means of purposive sampling, using posters displayed in the hospice inpatient unit. Thus, participation was entirely ‘opt-in’. A flash card was displayed at the beginning of each interview to determine a definition of personal care. Field notes and digital audio recording were used to capture data collected.

Results:

Data were thematically analysed and demonstrated that informal caregivers' perceptions of personal care included everything that allowed the patient to remain the person they were. Informal caregivers reported an acceptable balance between being able to carry out personal care and hospice nursing staff involvement, despite no discussions being carried out to establish their wishes. Prior experiences of informal caregiving, and individual caregiver preparedness, contributed to negative and positive feelings about participating in personal care. Informal caregivers reported additional support and education needs associated with being able to participate in the personal care of patients on discharge and in the future.

Conclusions:

The emergent themes provide palliative care practitioners with direction for professional practice and research around supporting informal caregivers participating in personal care. Healthcare professionals need to clarify terminology of personal care by having dialogues with informal caregivers and acting on these accordingly. However, not all informal caregivers want such conversations. Consequently, healthcare professionals should approach this topic sensitively. Healthcare professionals ought to be asking informal caregivers if they wish to participate in personal care. Hospice nurses need to engage, support and educate informal caregivers about personal care. Furthermore, they should help to maintain and develop the skills of those informal caregivers who want to continue to play this role and not allow them to become deskilled.
Interpersonal relationships: Cognitive appraisals, Emotions and Hope
Authors: Stephanou Georgia , Athanasiadou Kyriaki
Published: June 2020

This study examined teachers’ attributions and emotions for their subjectively perceived interpersonal relationships with their students as positive or negative, and whether hope (pathways thinking, agency thinking) influences the perceived positive or negative interpersonal relationships, the subsequent attributions and emotions, and the impact of attributions on emotions. Fifty teachers, of both genders, completed the questionnaire for each of their five students who were randomly selected from their teaching classes. The results revealed that the positive interpersonal relationships were predominately attributed to stable, personally controllable and self-student controllable factors, whereas the negative interpersonal relationships were primarily attributed to external, external controllable, unstable, and self-student controllable factors. Also, teachers reported positive emotions of high intensity (sympathy, cheerfulness, exciting, love, not anger, calmness) for the positive relationships, and negative emotions of moderate intensity (no enthusiasm, shame, anxiety, no excitement) for the negative relationships. Yet, the high hope teachers made adaptive attributional and emotional appraisals for the positive and, mainly, negative interpersonal relationships. Agency thinking, as compared to pathway thinking, was a better and worse formulator of the appraisals in negative and positive interpersonal relationships, respectively. Hope, additionally, had direct effect on the emotions, beyond that afforded by attributions, particularly in negative interpersonal relationships.
Making evidence and policy in public health emergencies: lessons from COVID-19 for adaptive evidence-making and intervention
Authors: Lancaster Kari , Rhodes Tim , Rosengarten Marsha
Published: June 2020

Background:

In public health emergencies, evidence, intervention, decisions and translation proceed simultaneously, in greatly compressed timeframes, with knowledge and advice constantly in flux. Idealised approaches to evidence-based policy and practice are ill equipped to deal with the uncertainties arising in evolving situations of need.

Key points for discussion:

There is much to learn from rapid assessment and outbreak science approaches. These emphasise methodological pluralism, adaptive knowledge generation, intervention pragmatism, and an understanding of health and intervention as situated in their practices of implementation. The unprecedented challenges of novel viral outbreaks like COVID-19 do not simply require us to speed up existing evidence-based approaches, but necessitate new ways of thinking about how a more emergent and adaptive evidence-making might be done. The COVID-19 pandemic requires us to appraise critically what constitutes ‘evidence-enough’ for iterative rapid decisions in-the-now. There are important lessons for how evidence and intervention co-emerge in social practices, and for how evidence-making and intervening proceeds through dialogue incorporating multiple forms of evidence and expertise.

Conclusions and implications:

Rather than treating adaptive evidence-making and decision making as a break from the routine, we argue that this should be a defining feature of an ‘evidence-making intervention’ approach to health.