bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Reduction of pin tract infections during external fixation using cadexomer iodine
Authors: Jansen Mylène P. , van Egmond Nienke , Kester Esmee C. , Mastbergen Simon C. , Lafeber Floris P. J. G. , Custers Roel J. H.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Knee joint distraction (KJD) is a joint-preserving treatment for younger osteoarthritis patients. KJD has shown positive results in regular care, but the external fixation frame often caused pin tract skin infections. Therefore, the use of cadexomer iodine was included in the wound care protocol. The goal of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate whether use of this ointment reduced the number of patients with infections during KJD treatment.

Methods

Patients treated with KJD in regular care were included if they gave consent for use of their data and completed treatment with the newest distraction device before 2020. All patients followed a wound care protocol, which since March 2019 included using cadexomer iodine ointment. The number of patients experiencing pin tract infections was compared between patients who did (March 2019–December 2019) and did not (November 2017–March 2019) use the ointment.

Results

Sixty-seven patients were included; 34 patients used cadexomer iodine and 33 patients did not. Patient who did not use cadexomer iodine experienced twice as many infections (64% vs 32%;p = 0.010). There was a significant difference in the number of patients with serious infections, requiring more antibiotics than the standard 7-day oral antibiotics (30% without vs 6% with cadexomer iodine; p = 0.009).

Conclusions

The use of cadexomer iodine ointment during KJD results in a significant reduction of the number of patients experiencing pin tract infections during treatment. Use of this ointment should be considered standard protocol during KJD treatment and could be of value in general external fixator usage as well.
Pilot randomised clinical trial of an eHealth, self-management support intervention (iVERVE) for stroke: feasibility assessment in survivors 12–24 months post-event
Authors:   on behalf of the ReCAPS investigators, Cadilhac Dominique A. , Andrew Nadine E. , Busingye Doreen , Cameron Jan , Thrift Amanda G. , Purvis Tara , Li Jonathan C. , Kneebone Ian , Thijs Vincent , Hackett Maree L. , Lannin Natasha A. , Kilkenny Monique F.
Published: November 2020

Background

Electronic communication is used in various populations to achieve health goals, but evidence in stroke is lacking. We pilot tested the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a novel personalised electronic self-management intervention to support person-centred goal attainment and secondary prevention after stroke.

Methods

A phase I, prospective, randomised controlled pilot trial (1:1 allocation) with assessor blinding, intention-to-treat analysis, and a process evaluation. Community-based survivors of stroke were recruited from participants in the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry (AuSCR) who had indicated their willingness to be contacted for research studies. Inclusion criteria include 1–2 years following hospital admission for stroke and living within 50 km of Monash University (Melbourne). Person-centred goals were set with facilitation by a clinician using a standardised template. The intervention group received electronic support messages aligned to their goals over 4 weeks. The control group received only 2–3 electronic administrative messages. Primary outcomes were study retention, goal attainment (assessed using Goal Attainment Scaling method) and satisfaction. Secondary outcomes were self-management (Health Education Impact Questionnaire: 8 domains), quality of life, mood and acceptability.

Results

Of 340 invitations sent from AuSCR, 73 responded, 68 were eligible and 57 (84%) completed the baseline assessment. At the goal-setting stage, 54/68 (79%) were randomised (median 16 months after stroke): 25 to intervention (median age 69 years; 40% female) and 29 to control (median age 68 years; 38% female). Forty-five (83%) participants completed the outcome follow-up assessment. At follow-up, goal attainment (mean GAS-T score ≥ 50) in the intervention group was achieved for goals related to function, participation and environment (control: environment only). Most intervention participants provided positive feedback and reported that the iVERVE messages were easy to understand (92%) and assisted them in achieving their goals (77%). We found preliminary evidence of non-significant improvements between the groups for most self-management domains (e.g. social integration and support: β coefficient 0.34; 95% CI − 0.14 to 0.83) and several quality-of-life domains in favour of the intervention group.

Conclusion

These findings support the need for further randomised effectiveness trials of the iVERVE program to be tested in people with new stroke.

Trial registration

ANZCTR, ACTRN12618001519246. Registered on 11 September 2018—retrospectively registered.
Rapid response of Nelson’s syndrome to pasireotide in radiotherapy-naive patient
Authors: He Xin , Spencer-Segal Joanna L.
Published: November 2020

Background

Nelson’s syndrome is a well-described complication following bilateral adrenalectomy for management of Cushing’s disease. There is no consensus on optimal management of Nelson’s syndrome, characterized by the triad of pituitary corticotroph adenoma growth, elevated serum adrenocorticotropic hormone, and skin hyperpigmentation. Medical therapy with a variety of drug classes have been studied. One potentially promising drug already approved for Cushing’s disease is pasireotide, a somatostatin analog with affinity for multiple somatostatin receptors, including subtype 5, the most highly expressed receptor on corticotroph tumors.

Case presentation

A 24-year-old female was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease with initial ACTH levels around 700–800 pg/mL. She underwent transsphenoidal surgery without remission, followed by bilateral adrenalectomy. Over the subsequent 3 years, the patient developed skin hyperpigmentation, recurrent elevations of ACTH, and tumor recurrence requiring two additional transsphenoidal surgeries. After her third transsphenoidal resection, ACTH normalized, no residual tumor was seen on radiology, and the patient’s skin hyperpigmentation improved. She then had an uncomplicated full-term pregnancy, during which ACTH levels remained within normal limits. One month after delivery, ACTH levels began rising to a peak at 5,935 pg/mL. Imaging revealed two new bilateral pituitary adenomas, measuring 14 mm on the left, and 7 mm on the right. She was then started on pasireotide. After two months of therapy, ACTH decreased to 609 pg/mL, and repeat pituitary MRI showed interval decrease in size of both pituitary adenomas to 13 mm on the left and 6 mm on the right.

Conclusion

We report the protracted course of a young female with several recurrences of Nelson’s syndrome following bilateral adrenalectomy and multiple transsphenoidal surgeries, who ultimately responded to pasireotide. Unique features of her case not described previously are the response to pasireotide in a radiotherapy-naive patient, as well as the rapid radiologic response to therapy. Her history illustrates the unresolved challenges of Nelson’s syndrome and the continued need for additional studies to identify optimal management.
The relationship of personal budgets with independence, participation and quality of life; a secondary analysis of survey data using propensity score matching
Authors: Marangos Anna Maria , Iedema Jurjen , de Klerk Mirjam , Woittiez Isolde , Groenewegen Peter P.
Published: November 2020

Objectives

Personal budgets for social and health care have been introduced in many European countries over recent decades. The assumption is that people with a personal budget are able to purchase care that matches their needs more closely and therefore experience greater independence and improved well-being. The question is whether this assumption is true. Little research has been carried out on this and the research that has been carried out is inconclusive and hampered by methodological limitations.

Methods

We performed a secondary analysis of data collected in a survey among persons who had submitted an application for social support. Propensity score matching was used to investigate whether people with a personal budget experience better independence, participation in society and quality of life than comparable people using conventionally organised help.

Results

After matching, no significant effects of the personal budget were initially found. A sensitivity analysis that excluded the variable sense of mastery from the calculation of the propensity scores, showed a significantly greater independence for those using a personal budget.

Conclusion

There may be several reasons for this lack of effect. First, perhaps there are no effects. It is also possible that effects can only be found in specific situations and/or specific groups.
Development of a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) and change measure for use in early recovery following hip or knee replacement
Authors: Strickland Louise H. , Murray David W. , Pandit Hemant G. , Jenkinson Crispin
Published: November 2020

Background

Hip and knee replacement are effective procedures for end-stage arthritis that has not responded to medical management. However, until now, there have been no validated, patient-reported tools to measure early recovery in this growing patient population. The process of development and psychometric evaluation of the Oxford Arthroplasty Early Recovery Score (OARS), a 14-item patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) measuring health status, and the Oxford Arthroplasty Early Change Score (OACS) a 14-item measure to assess change during the first 6 weeks following surgery is reported.

Patients and methods

A five-phased, best practice, iterative approach was used. From a literature based starting point, qualitative interviews with orthopaedic healthcare professionals, were then performed ascertaining if and how clinicians would use such a PROM and change measure. Analysis of in-depth patient-interviews in phase one identified important patient-reported factors in early recovery which were used to provide questionnaire themes. In Phase two, candidate items from Phase One interviews were generated and pilot questionnaires developed and tested. Exploratory factor analysis with item reduction and final testing of the questionnaires was performed in phase three. Phase Four involved validation testing.

Results

Qualitative interviews (n = 22) with orthopaedic healthcare professionals, helped determine views of potential users, and guide structure. In Phase One, factors from patient interviews (n = 30) were used to find questionnaire themes and generate items. Pilot questionnaires were developed and tested in Phase Two. Items were refined in the context of cognitive debrief interviews (n = 34) for potential inclusion in the final tools. Final testing of questionnaire properties with item reduction (n = 168) was carried out in phase three. Validation of the OARS and OACS was performed in phase four. Both measures were administered to consecutive patients (n = 155) in an independent cohort. Validity and reliability were assessed. Psychometric testing showed positive results, in terms of internal consistency and sensitivity to change, content validity and relevance to patients and clinicians. In addition, these measures have been found to be acceptable to patients throughout early recovery with validation across the 6 week period.

Conclusions

These brief, easy-to-use tools could be of great use in assessing recovery pathways and interventions in arthroplasty surgery.
Hydrological problems of flash floods and the encroachment of wastewater affecting the urban areas in Greater Cairo, Egypt, using remote sensing and GIS techniques
Authors: Megahed Hanaa A. , El Bastawesy Mohammed A.
Published: November 2020

Background

This paper discusses the hydrological problems assessment of flash floods and the encroachment of wastewater in selected urban areas of Greater Cairo using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. The integration of hydrogeological and geomorphological analyses with the fieldwork of drainage basins (Wadi Degla) hosting these urban areas endeavors to provide the optimum mitigation measures that can be feasibly taken to achieve sustainability of the urban areas and water resources available.

Results

Landsat 5 and Sentinel-2 satellite images were obtained shortly before and after flash flood events and were downloaded and analyzed to define the active channels, urban interference, storage areas, and the natural depressions response. The quantitative flash flood estimates include total GSMap meteorological data sets, parameters of rainfall depths from remote sensing data, active channel area from satellite images, and storage areas that flooded. In GIS, digital elevation model was used to estimate the hydrographic parameters: flow direction within the catchment, flow accumulation, time zone of the catchment, and estimating of the water volume in the largely inundated depressions.

Conclusions

Based on the results obtained from the study of available satellite images, it has been shown that there are two significant hydrological problems, including the lack of flash flood mitigation measures for urban areas, as the wastewater depressions and sanitary facilities are dotting in the downstream areas.
Nutritional reflection on growth and development among intellectually disabled children
Authors: Al Sayed Marwa Nasr , Mostafa Mohamed Salah , Gebaly Howida Hosny El , Mohamed Rania Samy , Kastandy Magda Ramzy
Published: November 2020

Background

Many studies revealed that there is a strong relationship between neurodevelopmental delay and malnutrition. This clinic-based study aimed to detect nutritional problems and its reflection on growth and mental development through determination of the nutritional profile among disabled children.

Results

This study showed significant difference in the residential places between the two groups of lower and higher IQ. The birth order is significantly related to level of IQ in children. By applying food analysis, there is significant difference in the elements they get between the two groups of children (of lower and higher IQ). Multiple analysis showed significant relationship between orientation and zinc intake with IQ of children.

Conclusion

Intellectual disability is more prevalent in rural and popular residential. As the birth order increases, the percentage of lower IQ increases. Dietary profile for intellectually disabled children (of lower IQ) is regarded to be richer with dietary elements and vitamins than that for higher IQ children. According to the multiple analysis, orientation and zinc intake are the most effective variables on the IQ scores.
Rational guidewire use in the coronary chronic total occlusion interventions
Authors: Karabulut Ahmet , Gorgulu Sevket , Kocagoz Tanıl
Published: November 2020

Background

Procedures for coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) are still a clinical challenge with relatively lower success rates. Recent advances in the biotechnology and introduction of CTO-dedicated guidewires have increased the procedural success rate of CTO interventions. Herein, we aimed to reveal the clinical and angiographic predictors of the crossability of the initial guidewire choice and rational guidewire usage in CTO interventions. A total of 177 patients with an indication for a coronary CTO procedure were included in this study. The use of 1–3 guidewires and crossing of the CTO lesion with the initial guidewire choice was defined as rational guidewire usage. The CTO lesions were classified according to the Japanese chronic total occlusion registry (J-CTO) and EuroCTO scores for evaluating the difficulty of the procedures. Then, a statistical analysis was performed to assess the initial guidewire choice, crossability, and contributors to rational guidewire usage.

Results

The mean J-CTO score was 1.42 ± 1.16, and the mean EuroCTO score was 1.44 ± 1.18. The success rate of the procedures was 90.4%. The initial guidewire choice crossed the lesion in 44.1% of the cases, in which 1–3 guidewires were used (82.1%). The crossability of the polymeric and moderate stiff tip guidewires was higher (82.1% and 64.1%, respectively), and the Pilot series was the most successful brand (36.2%). Logistic regression analysis confirmed that J-CTO score, procedural technique, guidewire type, and stiffness of the tip were the major predictors of rational guidewire usage.

Conclusion

Our analysis showed that the use of polymeric and moderate stiff tip guidewires, particularly the Pilot brand, were associated with rational guidewire usage in easy and intermediate difficulty CTO cases.
A new RP–HPLC method for simultaneous quantification of perindopril erbumine, indapamide, and amlodipine besylate in bulk and pharmaceutical dosage form
Authors: Patel Kirtan P. , Chhalotiya Usmangani K. , Kachhiya Hetaben M. , Patel Jay K.
Published: November 2020

Background

Perindopril erbumine is a specific inhibitor of angiotensin-converting enzyme, indapamide is the one providing thiazide diuretic effect, and amlodipine besylate is a calcium antagonist which belongs to the dihydropyridines which helps to maintain the pressure of the blood in the patient having arterial hypertension. The literature survey discloses that only one method is available for the estimation of the combination in the quantitative analytical liquid chromatographic method. Moreover to this, the literature review also reveals that HPTLC, UV spectroscopy, and HPLC methods are available for the analysis of either of the two in combination. Hence, our area of interest is to develop and validate the RP-HPLC in order to quantify perindopril erbumine, indapamide, and amlodipine besylate simultaneously in bulk and formulation.

Result

Sensitive and accurate RP-HPLC method was developed for the simultaneous estimation of indapamide, perindopril erbumine, and amlodipine besylate in bulk and available as triplixam-marketed tablet dosage form which is a combination of these drugs. The Phenomenex C-18 column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) was used as a stationary phase, and acetonitrile: methanol: water (30:20:50, v/v/v) was found to be optimized mobile phase which was further adjusted to pH 3.0 by utilizing 1.0% orthophosphoric acid; the flow rate kept was 1 ml/min and experiments were performed using PDA detector. The common detection wavelength for all the three APIs was found to be 215.0 nm. The method was validated as per ICH Q2 (R1). The linearity range for amlodipine besylate was found to be 0.500–9.500 μg/ml; for perindopril erbumine was found to be 0.400–7.600 μg/ml, and for indapamide was found to be 0.125–2.375 μg/ml. The correlation coefficient was found to be more than 0.9975 for all three of them, whereas the mean percentage recovery was found to be 99.52–100.71%, 99.49–100.89%, and 99.90–100.78%, respectively.

Conclusion

The proposed RP-HPLC method is found to be accurate and robust enough to estimate the perindopril erbumine, indapamide, and amlodipine besylate simultaneously in bulk and available tablet dosage form of combination.
Evaluation and Treatment of Amiodarone-Induced Thyroid Disorders
Authors: Ylli Dorina , Wartofsky Leonard , Burman Kenneth D
Published: November 2020

Amiodarone is a class III antiarrhythmic drug containing 37% iodine by weight, with a structure similar to that of thyroid hormones. Deiodination of amiodarone releases large amounts of iodine that can impair thyroid function, causing either hypothyroidism or thyrotoxicosis in susceptible individuals reflecting ~20% of patients administered the drug. Not only the excess iodine, but also the amiodarone (or its metabolite, desethylamiodarone) itself may cause thyroid dysfunction by direct cytotoxicity on thyroid cells. We present an overview of the epidemiology and pathophysiology of amiodarone-induced thyroid disorders, with a focus on the various forms of clinical presentation and recommendations for personalized management of each form.
Vitamin D Status in Hospitalized Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Authors: Hernández José L , Nan Daniel , Fernandez-Ayala Marta , García-Unzueta Mayte , Hernández-Hernández Miguel A , López-Hoyos Marcos , Muñoz-Cacho Pedro , Olmos José M , Gutiérrez-Cuadra Manuel , Ruiz-Cubillán Juan J , Crespo Javier , Martínez-Taboada Víctor M
Published: November 2020

Background

The role of vitamin D status in COVID-19 patients is a matter of debate.

Objectives

To assess serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and to analyze the possible influence of vitamin D status on disease severity.

Methods

Retrospective case–control study of 216 COVID-19 patients and 197 population-based controls. Serum 25OHD levels were measured in both groups. The association of serum 25OHD levels with COVID-19 severity (admission to the intensive care unit, requirements for mechanical ventilation, or mortality) was also evaluated.

Results

Of the 216 patients, 19 were on vitamin D supplements and were analyzed separately. In COVID-19 patients, mean ± standard deviation 25OHD levels were 13.8 ± 7.2 ng/mL, compared with 20.9 ± 7.4 ng/mL in controls (P < .0001). 25OHD values were lower in men than in women. Vitamin D deficiency was found in 82.2% of COVID-19 cases and 47.2% of population-based controls (P < .0001). 25OHD inversely correlates with serum ferritin (P = .013) and D-dimer levels (P = .027). Vitamin D-deficient COVID-19 patients had a greater prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, raised serum ferritin and troponin levels, as well as a longer length of hospital stay than those with serum 25OHD levels ≥20 ng/mL. No causal relationship was found between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity as a combined endpoint or as its separate components.

Conclusions

25OHD levels are lower in hospitalized COVID-19 patients than in population-based controls and these patients had a higher prevalence of deficiency. We did not find any relationship between vitamin D concentrations or vitamin deficiency and the severity of the disease.
Radiological Thoracic Vertebral Fractures are Highly Prevalent in COVID-19 and Predict Disease Outcomes
Authors: di Filippo Luigi , Formenti Anna Maria , Doga Mauro , Pedone Erika , Rovere-Querini Patrizia , Giustina Andrea
Published: November 2020

Context and Objective

COVID-19 has become the most relevant medical issue globally. Despite several studies that have investigated clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients, no data have been reported on the prevalence of vertebral fractures (VFs). Since VFs may influence cardiorespiratory function and disease outcomes, the aim of this study was to assess VFs prevalence and clinical impact in COVID-19.

Design and Patients

This was a retrospective cohort study performed at San Raffaele Hospital, a tertiary health care hospital in Italy. We included COVID-19 patients for whom lateral chest x-rays at emergency department were available. VFs were detected using a semiquantitative evaluation of vertebral shape on chest x-rays.

Results

A total of 114 patients were included in this study and thoracic VFs were detected in 41 patients (36%). Patients with VFs were older and more frequently affected by hypertension and coronary artery disease (P < 0.001, P = 0.007, P = 0.034; respectively). Thirty-six (88%) patients in VFs+ group compared to 54 (74%) in VFs− group were hospitalized (P = 0.08). Patients with VFs more frequently required noninvasive mechanical ventilation compared with those without VFs (P = 0.02). Mortality was 22% in VFs+ group and 10% in VFs− group (P = 0.07). In particular, mortality was higher in patients with severe VFs compared with those with moderate and mild VFs (P = 0.04).

Conclusions

VFs may integrate the cardiorespiratory risk of COVID-19 patients, being a useful and easy to measure clinical marker of fragility and poor prognosis. We suggest that morphometric thoracic vertebral evaluation should be performed in all suspected COVID-19 patients undergoing chest x-rays.
Letter to the Editor: “Glucocorticoid Resistance in Premature Adrenarche and PCOS: From Childhood to Adulthood”
Authors: Rosenfield Robert L
Published: November 2020

The conclusion of Panayiotopoulos et al. that glucocorticoid resistance accounted for 57% to 67% of their premature adrenarche and polycystic ovary syndrome cases cannot be accepted from the data presented. This is because proper validation of their method for determining glucocorticoid sensitivity is not presented. Furthermore, the method seems insensitive to physiologic glucocorticoid concentrations.
Short-term urinary catheters and their risks: an integrated systematic review
Authors: Gyesi-Appiah Evelyn , Brown Jayne , Clifton Andrew
Published: November 2020

This thematic review was part of a bigger literature review into the effects of short-term urinary catheters on patients who are discharged home from an acute hospital. This integrated review examined the risks associated with short-term urinary catheters. The MEDLINE, British Nursing Index and CINAHL databases were searched for studies published between 2013 and 2018 that researched the effects of short-term urinary catheters on patients. Twelve research studies were included, which showed the presence of short-term indwelling urinary catheters increased the risk of infection, length of hospital stay and mortality rates. Short-term urinary catheters should be strictly monitored and removed as soon as they are not required.
How the zoonotic origins of SARS-CoV-2 ensure its survival as a human disease
Authors: Phillis Alison
Published: November 2020

In December 2019, a new species of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in a number of patients presenting with pneumonias of unknown aetiology in WuHan Province, China. Early epidemiological indications were of a zoonotic origin: many of the initial patients confirmed contact with a local wet market and the genomic sequencing showed similar characteristics with coronaviruses known to be carried by bats. The theory of subsequent human to human transmission became evident once global epidemiological reporting of COVID infection was established. Confirmation of the origins of infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 was enabled by the early sharing of the initial genomic sequence by China in January 2020 and since developed collaboratively on a globally accessible database, supported by the World Health Organization ( https://tinyurl.com/rj32fp3 ).
Generation of sub-half-cycle 10 µm pulses through filamentation at kilohertz repetition rates
Authors: Huang Wei-Hong , Zhao Yue , Kusama Shota , Kumaki Fumitoshi , Luo Chih-Wei , Fuji Takao
Published: November 2020

We have experimentally demonstrated the generation of sub-half-cycle phase-stable pulses with the carrier wavelength of 10.2 µm through two-color filamentation in nitrogen. The carrier-envelope phase (CEP) of the MIR pulse is passively stabilized and controlled by the attosecond time delay between the two-color input pulses. The duration of the MIR pulse is 13.7 fs, which corresponds to 0.402 cycles. The absolute value of the CEP of the generated sub-half-cycle pulse is consistent with a simple four-wave difference frequency generation model. We have also found that the 10 kHz repetition rate of the light source causes the fluctuation of the pulse energy on a few hundred millisecond time scale.
Kicking the habit/semiconductor lasers without isolators
Authors: Harfouche Mark , Kim Dongwan , Wang Huolei , Santis Christos T. , Zhang Zhewei , Chen Hetuo , Satyan Naresh , Rakuljic George , Yariv Amnon
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a solution to the problem of coherence degradation and collapse caused by the back reflection of laser power into the laser resonator. The problem is most onerous in semiconductor lasers (SCLs), which are normally coupled to optical fibers, and results in the fact that practically every commercial SCL has appended to it a Faraday-effect isolator that blocks most of the reflected optical power preventing it from entering the laser resonator. The isolator assembly is many times greater in volume and cost than the SCL itself. This problem has resisted a practical and economic solution despite decades of effort and remains the main obstacle to the emergence of a CMOS-compatible photonic integrated circuit technology. A simple solution to the problem is thus of major economic and technological importance. We propose a strategy aimed at weaning semiconductor lasers from their dependence on external isolators. Lasers with large internal Q-factors can tolerate large reflections, limited only by the achievable Q values, without coherence collapse. A laser design is demonstrated on the heterogeneous Si/III-V platform that can withstand 25 dB higher reflected power compared to commercial DFB lasers. Larger values of internal Qs, achievable by employing resonator material of lower losses and improved optical design, should further increase the isolation margin and thus obviate the need for isolators altogether.
Under-dressed: Vests as representations of White, liminal masculinity and the transnational body in Saturday Night Fever and Raging Bull
Authors: Turney Jo
Published: November 2020

The 1970s is often considered a period in which masculinity was in crisis. This article considers that through cinematic representation and the use of the white cotton vest as a motif of hegemonic and working-class masculinity, masculinity was not in crisis, but in transition. The focus on films Saturday Night Fever and Raging Bull, is used here to exemplify discussions surrounding primarily hetero-normative masculinity, nationhood, tradition and the White working-class male body both dressed and undressed, and how these provide spaces through narrative and mise en scène to discuss notions of flux, change and fluidity that maps and arcs ‘masculinity’ to masculinities. The male body is deconstructed and reconstructed through the vest and becomes public spectacle. The centrality of the vest and its purpose within these (and many other) films during the period, acts as a means of revealing more than just the body of the wearer. In particular, the ethnicity of the protagonist and the repurposing of stereotypes through the vest as motif, underpin the credibility of the narrative and can be understood as a means of simplifying or coding approaches to shifting masculinities.
Between nationalism and consumerism: Devika Rani’s star persona in Indian visual culture
Authors: Raghav Radhika
Published: November 2020

The career of 1930s film star Devika Rani (1908–94), often described as ‘the first lady of Indian cinema’, both confirms and challenges the received view that the nationalists’ rewritings of traditional femininity constituted the most significant force in the formation of the continent’s New Woman. Rani’s star persona demonstrates how both modernity and consumer culture, while subjected to nationalist ideology, exercised a degree of influence over the tastes and lifestyles of women living in urban centres such as Bombay and Delhi. As a member of the prominent Tagore family, which included a Nobel Prize-winning poet, and of the kulin caste, Rani enjoyed a privileged status that allowed her to embody a self-defining individual who was specifically ‘feminine and modern’ while also ‘Indian’. Drawing on the wealth of photographic material that this actress left behind, this article teases out the complexities of her trajectory as an emblematic icon of twentieth-century Indian femininity. In particular her use of costuming in her starring roles, in films such as Karma, Achhut Kanya and Nirmala, illustrates how she promoted new modes of autonomy and agency for the female subject.
Dress and Gulf imagery in two Malayalam films: Pathemari and Marubhoomiyile Aana
Authors: Mubashir Musthafa , Haneef M. Shuaib Mohamed
Published: November 2020

Malayalam films since the 1970s have captured the history of Gulf migration from Kerala, which occurs primarily due to the desperate need of its people for jobs and for money. Predominantly, the discourses of migrants in the films are embedded in various things, including dress from the Gulf, the insignia of opulence that depict the status of the migrants in the public sphere. Using thematic analysis of two Malayalam films, Pathemari and Marubhoomiyile Aana, this study argues that the motif of the Gulf is associated with power and control in the cultural discourse of Kerala. Drawing on the semiotic analysis of Barthes, we contend that the replacement of mundu, a traditional attire of Kerala men, by trousers, is one among several mythical markers of modernity, including perfumes and watches brought from the Gulf. The performativity and materiality of dress in these two films produce imageries of the Gulf by which the wearers, mostly male, accumulate social and symbolic capital and assert dominance in the film’s narration.
Constitutional referendums and the media in Africa: Reporting the aborted referendum in Tanzania – 2015
Authors: Rønning Helge
Published: November 2020

The article involves three main topics. The first deals with the role of referendums in relation to constitutional processes, and how they have become increasingly common, with a focus on African developments. The second topic is a description of the referendums in relation to the media coverage of the rejected constitutional change in Zimbabwe in 2000 and in Kenya 2005, and with subsequent elections in both countries shortly after, and then the referendums that accepted constitutional change years later. The last part of the article is an analysis of coverage in the Tanzanian press of the constitutional debate before the aborted referendum in 2015, followed by some comparative reflections on the relationship between referendum and election reporting.
The sociocultural and political influences on the practice of media advocacy: The case of sexual harassment in Egypt
Authors: Shata Aya , Amin Khaled
Published: November 2020

The sociocultural context, in which media advocacy is practised, results in several influential factors that affect its effectiveness, outcomes, and success/failure. The objective of this article is to identify and discuss the sociocultural and political factors for the media advocacy efforts in fighting sexual harassment in Egypt and to evaluate their influence on the campaign’s outcomes. Using the triangulation approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with advocates, media experts and policy-makers. The analysis revealed six influential factors that can inform and improve future media advocacy campaigning. The pivotal factor is ‘focusing events’, which are a golden opportunity due to its effectiveness in getting the attention of various publics and pushing forward the required policy solutions, which is discussed from the agenda-setting lens. Other influential factors include coalition-building, political will, public opinion, the image of advocates, and the influence of social media, which are discussed in further detail.
Cultural expression using digital media by students
Authors: Olasina Gbolahan
Published: November 2020

Digital media have developed to facilitate new forms of engagement with heritage and allow traditional life to showcase its past history, thus potentially broadening interest to a broader landscape of audience. The research responds to calls for a better understanding of cultural expression using digital media by exploring the affordances and utilization of digital forms on users. Also, it is essential to examine the magnitude of the associations. Accordingly, the research analyses the interaction between cultural expressions and digital media use. The aims of the investigation are informed by behavioural theories to add depth and texture. The methodological framework is framed by a survey questionnaire method. The sample size is drawn from undergraduate students at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, using the simple random scheme. The study informs practice, enhances our understanding of digital media while improving user experiences and sheds new insights on self-preservation, values and co-producing heritage assets.
Virtually Real or Really Virtual: Towards a Heritage Metaverse
Authors: Huggett Jeremy
Published: November 2020

The hype surrounding the impending mainstreaming of Virtual Reality can seem to prioritize the digital above the critical. With the development of VR said to be at a pivotal point, there is an important opportunity to consider the emergence of virtual heritage and its potential futures. This paper argues that there is a disjunction between the present reality of virtual heritage and virtual reality, and discusses the twin challenges of presence and realism within virtual reality. In particular, it highlights a paradox inherent in virtual heritage and virtual reality and proposes the use of ‘loose-realism’ as a solution. Ultimately, the challenge is to address the claims that virtual reality represents a new class of information system, or metaverse, in order that virtual heritage fully engages with enquiry about the past.
Digital Documentation of the Saite Tombs in Saqqara
Authors: Universität Tübingen Matthias Lang , Hussein Ramadan , Glissmann Benjamin , Kluge Philippe
Published: November 2020

This paper focuses on the digital documentation techniques employed in the recording of a number of Saite-Persian sarcophagus-tombs in the necropolis of Saqqara (Egypt). In this paper, we discus pros and cons of different three-dimensional technologies for the documentation of a vast site as well as the process of ongoing excavation. We then delve into a discussion of the results and benefits of the employed techniques, particularly understanding the complex spatial relationships of archaeological features both aboveground and underground. Furthermore, we explain how we derive precise scaled and ortho-rectified images of all inscribed walls and objects from the recorded 3D-information in order to produce digital facsimiles. The 3D approach gives us the opportunity to create an exact digital copy of the site, and to record all stages of the excavation. The produced 3D models can be used in various virtual environments in order to give researchers and the general public the possibility to visit and to examine the site from a distance. Also, it is important to note that this paper presents a sustainable long-term data-archiving strategy, since saving the digitally-born data for future generations is an integral part of our Saqqara Saite Tombs Project.
Serious Gaming for Virtual Archaeoastronomy
Authors: Zotti Georg , Frischer Bernard , Fillwalk John
Published: November 2020

Many cultures worldwide have left traces of sacred architecture and monuments which often show correlation to astronomical events like solstitial sunrises. Virtual archaeology can be used to explore such orientation patterns using digital reconstructions and positions of celestial objects computed from modern astronomical models. Most 3D editing systems used to build virtual reconstructions of such monuments however fail to provide astronomically accurate solar illumination models which can recreate the slightly different solar positions of antiquity or even prehistory, and even worse, any usable representation of the night sky. In recent years, two systems created independently by the authors of this study have been utilized for investigations into the orientation of architecture with respect to celestial processes. Both had their advantages and shortcomings compared to each other. One extended a dedicated open-source desktop astronomy program with a 3D rendering engine where such monuments can be investigated in the first-person perspective by interactive walkthrough. The other system uses a game engine and external online resources which provides only solar or planetary positions, but no star data. This study presents ways of connecting both systems in an attempt to take advantage of the best of both approaches.
Class IA PI3Ks regulate subcellular and functional dynamics of IDO1
Authors: Iacono Alberta , Pompa Andrea , De Marchis Francesca , Panfili Eleonora , Greco Francesco A , Coletti Alice , Orabona Ciriana , Volpi Claudia , Belladonna Maria L , Mondanelli Giada , Albini Elisa , Vacca Carmine , Gargaro Marco , Fallarino Francesca , Bianchi Roberta , De Marcos Lousa Carine , Mazza Emilia MC , Bicciato Silvio , Proietti Elisa , Milano Francesca , Martelli Maria P , Iamandii Ioana M , Graupera Garcia‐Mila Mariona , Llena Sopena Judith , Hawkins Phillip , Suire Sabine , Okkenhaug Klaus , Stark Anne‐Katrien , Grassi Fabio , Bellucci Michele , Puccetti Paolo , Santambrogio Laura , Macchiarulo Antonio , Grohmann Ursula , Pallotta Maria T
Published: November 2020

Knowledge of a protein’s spatial dynamics at the subcellular level is key to understanding its function(s), interactions, and associated intracellular events. Indoleamine 2,3‐dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a cytosolic enzyme that controls immune responses via tryptophan metabolism, mainly through its enzymic activity. When phosphorylated, however, IDO1 acts as a signaling molecule in plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), thus activating genomic effects, ultimately leading to long‐lasting immunosuppression. Whether the two activities—namely, the catalytic and signaling functions—are spatially segregated has been unclear. We found that, under conditions favoring signaling rather than catabolic events, IDO1 shifts from the cytosol to early endosomes. The event requires interaction with class IA phosphoinositide 3‐kinases (PI3Ks), which become activated, resulting in full expression of the immunoregulatory phenotype in vivo in pDCs as resulting from IDO1‐dependent signaling events. Thus, IDO1’s spatial dynamics meet the needs for short‐acting as well as durable mechanisms of immune suppression, both under acute and chronic inflammatory conditions. These data expand the theoretical basis for an IDO1‐centered therapy in inflammation and autoimmunity.
Out of the Depths of Chattel Slavery in Maryland
Authors: Maya Davis
Published: November 2020

Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, also known as Frederick Douglass, is arguably one of the most studied figures in the nineteenth century. His life in the public arena is well documented through public and private collections. This article examines how Frederick Bailey is documented in both public and private collections of records from the antebellum period. It also focuses on the preservation of the private family papers of Captain Aaron Anthony and the donation of the collection to the Maryland State Archives in the early 1960s. As with the personal papers of many slaveholding individuals, much of Douglass’s life in enslavement was recorded through the eyes of his master, Anthony. As 2018 marked the bicentennial of his birth, the state of Maryland celebrated his life and legacy. Archivists at the Maryland State Archives, the state’s official depository, worked to preserve and make accessible historical records of Douglass’s early life as documented in the public record. The Archives house government records of permanent value as well as private papers that document Douglass’s life as an enslaved individual.
Putting Down the Steady Pen for the Natural World
Authors: Ka’mal McClarin  , Mike Antonioni
Published: November 2020

Much of the scholarship on Frederick Douglass in the past twenty years has focused on his public contributions to society at large: numerous comprehensive biographical treatments detail his interactions with political, religious, civil, and social movements. However, there has been little discussion of his interactions with the natural world. This article explores Douglass as a man of many seasons who demonstrated over the course of his life many passions, nature being among the most prominent. Along with Douglass’s staunch commitment as a universal reformer, we argue, Douglass carried a lifelong love for the environment, engaging with it physically, intellectually, and as a source of leisure. By the time of his death, he had become a Victorian gentleman farmer and a naturalist who possessed a global understanding of his natural environment. In fact, he often merged his appreciation for nature with his broad range of activism. These actions worked in harmony with one another. This aspect of his life was an equally important aspect of his character as a man who came of age during the nineteenth century and whose soul departed from the earth on the eve of the twentieth century.
“We’re A’ Jock Tamson’s Bairns”
Authors: Nick Batho
Published: November 2020

This article is about the search for Frederick Douglass across Scotland and how this local history sheds a different light on Douglass and his time in the country. A decentered approach to Douglass is crucial because the speeches he gave across Scotland radically altered depending on his audience. From soirées in Edinburgh and Glasgow to packed meetings in areas of working-class activism, examining the locations Douglass visited in Scotland shapes how we view him.
Framing Frederick Douglass
Authors: Ernest J. Quarles
Published: November 2020

In this era of “My Brother’s Keeper,” we have been blinded from fully recognizing the Black woman’s race-, gender-, and class-based persecution and oppression. This daunting reality, though, has existed since 1619. She has lived through the dehumanizing experience of slavery and the unfulfilled promises of Reconstruction, lynching, Jim Crow, and segregation, and today she often finds herself left out or at the margins of our concern with regard to her humanity. Even during the life of the great Frederick Douglass, who spoke out against America’s torturous evils, the Black woman was unchampioned.  She was never offered a pedestal to speak, yet she spoke boldly nonetheless. America wanted her to be the footstool for white society, but she vehemently refused. Anna Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Rosetta Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, and others were the thought leaders who shaped and defined the truest sense of humanity and morality for nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. They are the talented tenth who saved Black America and, in so doing, the heart and soul of our nation.
James McCune Smith Predicted African American Preeminence in U.S. Art and Culture
Authors: Amy M. Cools
Published: November 2020

James McCune Smith (1813–1865) was an African American physician, author, intellectual, community leader, and antislavery activist. He believed that the racial caste system of the United States was perpetuated not only by the slave system but by widely entrenched negative attitudes towards people of African descent, both outside and within the African American community. To counteract popular prejudice and to promote African American confidence and unity, he wrote widely on the abilities, accomplishments, and contributions of people of African descent, both historical and contemporary. This article examines McCune Smith’s theory that African Americans would play a formative and outsize role in the development of United States artistic and intellectual culture. From his time to ours, McCune Smith’s striking prediction was fulfilled to a degree that even he, inspired with the confidence his 1841 lecture “The Destiny of the People of Color” (published 1843) reveals, might marvel at.
Vestiges of Black Internationalism
Authors: Nicole Willson
Published: November 2020

The siege led by the Continental Army to reclaim Savannah from British forces in the fall of 1779 is remembered as one of the most disastrous battles of the American Revolutionary War. However, greater carnage was circumvented by a legion of (largely) free Black Chasseurs Volontaires recruited from the colony of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti). Their role proved strategically vital, and a monument erected in Savannah’s Franklin Square today pays homage to their contributions to the American project of independence. Indeed, the beguiling mythos of independence suffuses their historic legacy. Yet although their story is remembered in African American histories from the nineteenth century to the present, they are systematically occluded, marginalized, and overlooked by the colonialist archive. This article interrogates the violence of archival erasure and demands interdisciplinary, multimodal, and collaborative modes of recreating and rehabilitating lost African Atlantic histories.