bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theta‐ and alpha‐power enhancements in the electroencephalogram as an auditory delayed match‐to‐sample task becomes impossibly difficult
Authors: Wisniewski Matthew G. , Thompson Eric R. , Iyer Nandini
Published: August 2017

Recent studies have related enhancements of theta‐ (∼4–8 Hz) and alpha‐power (∼8–13 Hz) to listening effort based on parallels between enhancement and task difficulty. In contrast, nonauditory works demonstrate that, although increases in difficulty are initially accompanied by increases in effort, effort decreases when a task becomes so difficult as to exceed one's ability. Given the latter, we examined whether theta‐ and alpha‐power enhancements thought to reflect effortful listening show a quadratic trend across levels of listening difficulty from impossible to easy. Listeners (n = 14) performed an auditory delayed match‐to‐sample task with frequency‐modulated tonal sweeps under impossible, difficult (at ∼70.7% correct threshold), and easy (well above threshold) conditions. Frontal midline theta‐power and posterior alpha‐power enhancements were observed during the retention interval, with greatest enhancement in the difficult condition. Independent component‐based analyses of data suggest that theta‐power enhancements stemmed from medial frontal sources at or near the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas alpha‐power effects stemmed from occipital cortices. Results support the notion that theta‐ and alpha‐power enhancements reflect effortful cognitive processes during listening, related to auditory working memory and the inhibition of task‐irrelevant cortical processing regions, respectively. Theta‐ and alpha‐power dynamics can be used to characterize the cognitive processes that make up effortful listening, including qualitatively different types of listening effort.
The speech act of ‘offers’ in Irish English
Authors: BARRON ANNE
Published: August 2017

This article takes a variational pragmatic approach to investigating language use in Ireland by focusing on the speech act of ‘offers’ in Irish English as compared to those in British English. Using comparable Irish and British components of the International Corpus of English, the analysis centres on the offer strategies and strategy realisations employed in these offers. The study highlights the need for corpus analyses of speech acts to include a fine‐grained qualitative analysis, particularly in light of the fact that findings reveal the distribution of offer topic to differ across the Irish and British corpora and also offer realisations to differ by topic.
New species and records of Cunaxinae mites (Acari: Trombidiformes: Cunaxidae) from Iran
Authors: Paktinat-Saeij Saeid , Bagheri Mohammad , Castro Tatiane M.M.G. de , Saboori Alireza , Gharekhani Gholamhossein , Ghobari Hamed
Published: August 2017

One new species of Cunaxa, C. iranica Paktinat-Saeij, Bagheri & Castro sp. nov., is described and illustrated based on female, male and tritonymph collected from Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. The female, male and nymphal stages of Armascirus hastus Shiba, 1986 are redescribed based on Iranian specimens. In addition, the species Cunaxa gordeevae Sergeyenko, 2009 and Rubroscirus khaustovi Sergeyenko, 2006 are recorded for the first time from Iran.
Redescription of three species of Mixonychus (Acari, Tetranychidae) from China
Authors: Yi Tian-Ci , Jin Dao-Chao
Published: August 2017

Holotypes and paratypes of three species in the genus Mixonychus from Mainland China (M. ganjuis, M. murrayae and M. nanchangensis) were examined and redescribed. The deutonymph of M. murrayae was described for the first time. The dorsal striae in M. nanchangensis show remarkable sexual dimorphism.
Nonlinear wave propagation in porous materials based on the Biot theory
Authors: Tong L. H. , Liu Y. S. , Geng D. X. , Lai S. K.
Published: August 2017

Nonlinearity must be considered with some porous granular media because of the large deformation under seismic waves. In this study, the propagation of nonlinear waves in porous media is studied based on the Biot theory and the governing equations are obtained by the Lagrangian formulation. Three new nonlinear parameters are introduced to consider the coupled nonlinearity between the solid and fluid components in porous media. It is shown that an additional nonlinear wave with a double frequency is generated by the coupling effect of linear fast and slow waves. When only a shear wave is applied at the source, no double-frequency nonlinear wave is predicted and three nonlinear longitudinal waves are generated. On the basis of the practical case studies, the effect of strong nonlinearity is computed under the influence of a one-dimensional single longitudinal wave source and a single shear wave source.
Chromosome End Repair and Genome Stability in
Plasmodium falciparum
Authors: Calhoun Susannah F. , Reed Jake , Alexander Noah , Mason Christopher E. , Deitsch Kirk W. , Kirkman Laura A.
Published: August 2017

The human malaria parasite
Plasmodium falciparum
replicates within circulating red blood cells, where it is subjected to conditions that frequently cause DNA damage. The repair of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs) is thought to rely almost exclusively on homologous recombination (HR), due to a lack of efficient nonhomologous end joining. However, given that the parasite is haploid during this stage of its life cycle, the mechanisms involved in maintaining genome stability are poorly understood. Of particular interest are the subtelomeric regions of the chromosomes, which contain the majority of the multicopy variant antigen-encoding genes responsible for virulence and disease severity. Here, we show that parasites utilize a competitive balance between
de novo
telomere addition, also called “telomere healing,” and HR to stabilize chromosome ends. Products of both repair pathways were observed in response to DSBs that occurred spontaneously during routine
in vitro
culture or resulted from experimentally induced DSBs, demonstrating that both pathways are active in repairing DSBs within subtelomeric regions and that the pathway utilized was determined by the DNA sequences immediately surrounding the break. In combination, these two repair pathways enable parasites to efficiently maintain chromosome stability while also contributing to the generation of genetic diversity.

IMPORTANCE
Malaria is a major global health threat, causing approximately 430,000 deaths annually. This mosquito-transmitted disease is caused by
Plasmodium
parasites, with infection with the species
Plasmodium falciparum
being the most lethal. Mechanisms underlying DNA repair and maintenance of genome integrity in
P. falciparum
are not well understood and represent a gap in our understanding of how parasites survive the hostile environment of their vertebrate and insect hosts. Our work examines DNA repair in real time by using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing focused on the subtelomeric regions of the genome that harbor the multicopy gene families important for virulence and the maintenance of infection. We show that parasites utilize two competing molecular mechanisms to repair double-strand breaks, homologous recombination and
de novo
telomere addition, with the pathway used being determined by the surrounding DNA sequence. In combination, these two pathways balance the need to maintain genome stability with the selective advantage of generating antigenic diversity.
Fifteen-minute consultation: The healthy child: “My child is a fussy eater!”
Authors: Levene Ilana R , Williams Annabel
Published: August 2017

Feeding a child is an emotive experience. Selective eating (often referred to as fussy eating) is a typical part of early childhood but can cause significant anxiety to parents. This article covers the factors that influence the development of selective eating, the key points to elicit in history and examination, and evidence-based advice for parents.
Urine producing peritoneal dialysis catheter
Authors: Elgaali Musa , Abiola Olukayode , Collinson Helen , Bhandari Sunil
Published: August 2017

Insertion of a peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter into the bladder is a rare complication of PD. Herein, we describe a case of an adult patient undergoing PD tube insertion who was found to have the catheter in the urinary bladder. He was treated with PD catheter removal, prophylactic antibiotics and repair of the bladder wall. This report gives a timely reminder of and the need to check for urinary bladder distension prior to PD catheter insertion surgery. Perforating injuries should be considered in patients with symptoms related to the urinary tract and free flow of fluid from the PD tube.
Answering medical questions at the point of care: a cross-sectional study comparing rapid decisions based on PubMed and Epistemonikos searches with evidence-based recommendations developed with the GRADE approach
Authors: Izcovich Ariel , Criniti Juan Martín , Popoff Federico , Ragusa Martín Alberto , Gigler Cristel , Gonzalez Malla Carlos , Clavijo Manuela , Manzotti Matias , Diaz Martín , Catalano Hugo Norberto , Neumann Ignacio , Guyatt Gordon
Published: August 2017

Introduction

Using the best current evidence to inform clinical decisions remains a challenge for clinicians. Given the scarcity of trustworthy clinical practice guidelines providing recommendations to answer clinicians’ daily questions, clinical decision support systems (ie, assistance in question identification and answering) emerge as an attractive alternative. The trustworthiness of the recommendations achieved by such systems is unknown.

Objective

To evaluate the trustworthiness of a question identification and answering system that delivers timely recommendations.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Methods

We compared the responses to 100 clinical questions related to inpatient management provided by two rapid response methods with ‘Gold Standard’ recommendations. One of the rapid methods was based on PubMed and the other on Epistemonikos database. We defined our ‘Gold Standard’ as trustworthy published evidence-based recommendations or, when unavailable, recommendations developed locally by a panel of six clinicians following the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Recommendations provided by the rapid strategies were classified as potentially misleading or reasonable. We also determined if the potentially misleading recommendations could have been avoided with the appropriate implementation of searching and evidence summary tools.

Results

We were able to answer all of the 100 questions with both rapid methods. Of the 200 recommendations obtained, 6.5% (95% CI 3% to 9.9%) were classified as potentially misleading and 93.5% (95% CI 90% to 96.9%) as reasonable. 6 of the 13 potentially misleading recommendations could have been avoided by the appropriate usage of the Epistemonikos matrix tool or by constructing summary of findings tables. No significant differences were observed between the evaluated rapid response methods.

Conclusion

A question answering service based on the GRADE approach proved feasible to implement and provided appropriate guidance for most identified questions. Our approach could help stakeholders in charge of managing resources and defining policies for patient care to improve evidence-based decision-making in an efficient and feasible manner.
Disease understanding in patients newly diagnosed with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Kaufman Brystana G , Kim Sunghee , Pieper Karen , Allen Larry A , Gersh Bernard J , Naccarelli Gerald V , Ezekowitz Michael D , Fonarow Gregg C , Mahaffey Kenneth W , Singer Daniel E , Chan Paul S , Freeman James V , Ansell Jack , Kowey Peter R , Rieffel James A , Piccini Jonathan , Peterson Eric , O’Brien Emily C
Published: August 2017

Objective

To describe self-reported disease understanding for newly diagnosed patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and assess (1) how disease understanding changes over the first 6 months after diagnosis and (2) the relationship between patient understanding of therapies at baseline and treatment receipt at 6 months among treatment-naïve patients.

Methods

We analysed survey data from SATELLITE (Survey of Patient Knowledge and Personal Priorities for Treatment), a substudy of patients with new-onset AF enrolled in the national Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation (ORBIT) II registry across 56 US sites. Patients were surveyed at the baseline and 6-month follow-up clinic visits using Likert scales.

Results

Among 1004 baseline survey responses, patients’ confidence in their understanding of rhythm control, ablation, anticoagulation and cardioversion was suboptimal, with ‘high’ understanding ranging from 8.5% for left atrial appendage closure to 71.3% for rhythm therapy. Of medical history and demographic factors, education level was the strongest predictor of reporting ‘high’ disease understanding. Among the 786 patients with 6-month survey data, significant increases in the proportion reporting high understanding were observed (p<0.05) only for warfarin and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). With the exception of ablation, high understanding for a given therapeutic option was not associated with increased use of that therapy at 6 months.

Conclusions

About half of patients with new-onset AF understood the benefits of oral anticoagulant at the time of diagnosis and understanding improved over the first 6 months. However, understanding of AF treatment remains suboptimal at 6 months. Our results suggest a need for ongoing patient education.

Clinical trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov. Identifier: NCT01701817.
Trb3 is Elevated in Psoriasis Vulgaris Lesions and Mediates Hacat Cells Proliferation in Vitro
Authors: Yu Xiao-Jing , Song Tie-Jun , Zhang Lu-Wei , Su Ying , Wang Ke-Yu , Sun Qing
Published: August 2017

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by abnormal keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Overexpression of tribbles homolog3 (TRB3), which belongs to the tribbles family of pseudokinases, has been found in several human tumors and metabolic diseases, but its role in psoriasis has not been fully clarified. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of TRB3 in psoriasis and explore its roles in the proliferation of keratinocytes. Twenty-four patients with psoriasis vulgaris were recruited for the study. Diagnosis of psoriasis was based on clinical and histologic examinations. Immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) were performed to determine protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of TRB3 in psoriasis lesions. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyUridine (BrdU) incorporation assay were performed for cell proliferation. Cell cycle distribution was assessed by flow cytometry analysis. The levels of TRB3 is elevated in psoriatic lesions compared with psoriatic non-lesions. The HaCat cells expressed the TRB3 gene. We found TRB3 silencing to significantly inhibit HaCat cell proliferation. Furthermore, the specific knockdown of TRB3 slowed down the cell cycle at the gap 0/first gap phase. In conclusion, our data suggest that TRB3 is overexpressed in lesions of patients with psoriasis and may be involved in the abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes. Therefore, TRB3 may be a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis.
Identifying mineral prospectivity using 3D magnetotelluric, potential field and geological data in the east Kimberley, Australia
Authors: Lindsay M. D. , Spratt J. , Occhipinti S. A. , Aitken A. R. A. , Dentith M. C. , Hollis J. A. , Tyler I. M.
Published: August 2017

An integrated interpretation of the east Kimberley, northern Western Australia was completed to determine mineral prospectivity, and was centred on a portion of a magnetotelluric (MT) survey conducted across the entire Kimberley Craton and surrounding orogens. A structural geophysical interpretation used potential field data, and was constrained by geological field observations, petrophysics, remote sensing and understanding of the tectonic history of the region. Potential field forward modelling located along the same survey traverse as the MT data allowed comparison between the two datasets and their interpretations revealing interesting features suggesting the presence of large-scale structures, the presence of mineralization deep in the crust, and where mineralization may be at or near the surface. The King River Fault is shown from both the MT inversion and potential field modelling as a crustal-scale, west-dipping structure, the footwall of which bounds the western side of a large resistive body. A conductive anomaly is also located on the hanging wall of the King River Fault. Our assessment suggests that graphitic rocks, most likely with some sulphide content, contribute to the strength of this anomaly, and highlights the potential of the east Kimberley to host graphite and base metal deposits.
Sequential hemifield gating of α- and β-behavioral performance oscillations after microsaccades
Authors: Bellet Joachim , Chen Chih-Yang , Hafed Ziad M.
Published: August 2017

Microsaccades are tiny saccades that occur during gaze fixation. Even though visual processing has been shown to be strongly modulated close to the time of microsaccades, both at central and peripheral eccentricities, it is not clear how these eye movements might influence longer term fluctuations in brain activity and behavior. Here we found that visual processing is significantly affected and, in a rhythmic manner, even several hundreds of milliseconds after a microsaccade. Human visual detection efficiency, as measured by reaction time, exhibited coherent rhythmic oscillations in the α- and β-frequency bands for up to ~650–700 ms after a microsaccade. Surprisingly, the oscillations were sequentially pulsed across visual hemifields relative to microsaccade direction, first occurring in the same hemifield as the movement vector for ~400 ms and then the opposite. Such pulsing also affected perceptual detection performance. Our results suggest that visual processing is subject to long-lasting oscillations that are phase locked to microsaccade generation, and that these oscillations are dependent on microsaccade direction.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY We investigated long-term microsaccadic influences on visual processing and found rhythmic oscillations in behavioral performance at α- and β-frequencies (~8–20 Hz). These oscillations were pulsed at a much lower frequency across visual hemifields, first occurring in the same hemifield as the microsaccade direction vector for ~400 ms before switching to the opposite hemifield for a similar interval. Our results suggest that saccades temporally organize visual processing and that such organization can sequentially switch hemifields.
Low-Density Polyethylene/Polyamide/Clay Blend Nanocomposites: Effect of Morphology of Clay on Their Photooxidation Resistance
Authors: Dintcheva N. Tz. , Filippone G. , Arrigo R. , La Mantia F. P.
Published: August 2017

The photooxidation behaviour of low-density polyethylene (LDPE)/polyamide (PA) blends, containing polyamide 11 (PA11) or polyamide 6 (PA6), has been investigated in the absence and presence of a small amount of commercial organomodified clay (OMMT). The polymer blends LDPE/PA11 and LDPE/PA6 at 75/25 wt./wt.%, with and without OMMT, have been prepared by a two-step procedure: extrusion and sheet formulation. The formulated complex systems have been subjected to accurate morphological analysis in order to evaluate the effect of the OMMT presence on the refinement of the blend morphology. Furthermore, the produced sheets have been subjected to arterial UVB exposure and the variations of the mechanical properties and chemical structure of all the investigated samples have been monitored as a function of the exposure time. Finally, the rate of the photodegradation of the complex systems has been related to the morphological changes of these systems upon OMMT addition.
Cytokines Genotype‐Phenotype Correlation in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis
Authors: Bocsan Ioana Corina , Milaciu Mircea Vasile , Pop Raluca Maria , Vesa Stefan Cristian , Ciumarnean Lorena , Matei Daniela Maria , Buzoianu Anca Dana
Published: August 2017

NASH consists in lipid accumulation in hepatocytes that trigger oxidative stress, secretion of proinflammatory cytokines leading to steatohepatitis (NASH). The study aimed to investigate the levels of proinflammatory (TNF‐α and IL‐6) along with anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐10 in patients with NASH and to correlate the cytokines’ level with their polymorphism. Sixty‐six patients with NASH and 30 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The plasmatic level of IL‐6, IL‐10, and TNF‐α were determined by ELISA. IL‐10 ‐1082 G/A, IL‐6 ‐174 G/C, and TNF‐α ‐308 G/A polymorphisms were determined using the PCR‐RFLP technique. IL‐6, TNF‐α, and CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with NASH. There was a positive correlation between proinflammatory cytokines and a negative correlation between IL‐10 and proinflammatory markers. The G allele and GG genotype of IL‐6 ‐174 G/C polymorphism were more frequently noticed in NASH patients. Regarding IL‐10 ‐1082 G/A polymorphism, the AA genotype was correlated with NASH and with a low plasmatic level of IL‐10. The A allele in position 308 of the TNF‐α gene was associated with high level of cytokine. In conclusion, there was an imbalance between pro‐ and anti‐inflammatory cytokines in NASH patients. IL‐10 ‐1082 G/A and TNF‐α ‐308 G/A genotypes were correlated with the plasmatic levels of cytokines.
Cannabinoid Receptor 2 Modulates Neutrophil Recruitment in a Murine Model of Endotoxemia
Authors: Kapellos Theodore S. , Recio Carlota , Greaves David R. , Iqbal Asif J.
Published: August 2017

The endocannabinoid system consists of endogenous lipid mediators and cannabinoid receptors (CB) 1 and 2. It has previously been demonstrated that activation of the leukocyte-expressed CB2 has anti-inflammatory effects in vivo. Here, we report its role under baseline conditions and in a model of low-dose endotoxemia by comparing CB2 knockout to littermate control mice. CB2-deficient mice displayed significantly more neutrophils and fewer monocytes in the bone marrow under steady state. In initial validation experiments, administration of 1 mg/kg LPS to male C57BL/6J mice was shown to transiently upregulate systemic proinflammatory mediators (peaked at 2 hours) and mobilise bone marrow neutrophils and monocytes into circulation. In CB2 knockout mice, the level of the metalloproteinase MMP-9 was significantly elevated by 2 hours and we also observed augmented recruitment of neutrophils to the spleen in addition to increased levels of Ccl2, Ccl3, Cxcl10, and Il6. Collectively, our data show that the absence of CB2 receptor increases the levels of innate immune cell populations in the bone marrow under steady state. Furthermore, during an acute systemic inflammatory insult, we observe a highly reproducible and site-specific increase in neutrophil recruitment and proinflammatory chemokine expression in the spleen of CB2 knockout mice.
Probabilistic Dose Assessment from SB-LOCA Accident in Ujung Lemahabang Using TMI-2 Source Term
Authors: Sunarko  , Su’ud Zaki , Arif Idam , Pramuditya Syeilendra
Published: August 2017

Probabilistic dose assessment and mapping for nuclear accident condition are performed for Ujung Lemahabang site in Muria Peninsula region in Indonesia. Source term is obtained from Three-Mile Island unit 2 (TMI-2) PWR-type SB-LOCA reactor accident inverse modeling. Effluent consisted of Xe-133, Kr-88, I-131, and Cs-137 released from a 50 m stack. Lagrangian Particle Dispersion Method (LPDM) and 3-dimensional mass-consistent wind field are employed to obtain surface-level time-integrated air concentration and spatial distribution of ground-level total dose in dry condition. Site-specific meteorological data is obtained from hourly records obtained during the Site Feasibility Study period in Ujung Lemahabang. Effluent is released from a height of 50 meters in uniform rate during a 6-hour period and the dose is integrated during this period in a neutrally stable atmospheric condition. Maximum dose noted is below regulatory limit of 1 mSv and radioactive plume is spread mostly to the W-SW inland and to N-NE from the proposed plant to Java Sea. This paper has demonstrated for the first time a probabilistic analysis method for assessing possible spatial dose distribution, a hypothetical release, and a set of meteorological data for Ujung Lemahabang region.
Differential Toxicity in Patients with and without DNA Repair Mutations: Phase I Study of Carboplatin and Talazoparib in Advanced Solid Tumors
Authors: Dhawan Mallika S. , Bartelink Imke H. , Aggarwal Rahul Raj , Leng Jim , Zhang Jenna Z. , Pawlowska Nela , Terranova-Barberio Manuela , Grabowsky Jennifer A. , Gewitz Andrew , Chien Amy J. , Moasser Mark , Kelley Robin K. , Maktabi Tayeba , Thomas Scott , Munster Pamela N.
Published: August 2017

Purpose: The PARP inhibitor (PARPi) talazoparib may potentiate activity of chemotherapy and toxicity in cells vulnerable to DNA damage.

Experimental Design: This phase I study evaluated the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of talazoparib and carboplatin. Pharmacokinetic modeling explored associations between DNA vulnerability and hematologic toxicity.

Results: Twenty-four patients (eight males; 16 females) with solid tumors were enrolled in four cohorts at 0.75 and 1 mg daily talazoparib and weekly carboplatin (AUC 1 and 1.5, every 2 weeks or every 3 weeks), including 14 patients (58%) with prior platinum treatment. Dose-limiting toxicities included grade 3 fatigue and grade 4 thrombocytopenia; the MTD was not reached. Grade 3/4 toxicities included fatigue (13%), neutropenia (63%), thrombocytopenia (29%), and anemia (38%). After cycle 2's dose, delays/reductions were required in all patients. One complete and two partial responses occurred in germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) patients. Four patients showed stable disease beyond 4 months, three of which had known mutations in DNA repair pathways. Pharmacokinetic toxicity modeling suggests that after three cycles of carboplatin AUC 1.5 every 3 weeks and talazoparib 1 mg daily, neutrophil counts decreased 78% [confidence interval (CI), 87–68] from baseline in gBRCA carriers and 63% (CI, 72–55) in noncarriers (P < 0.001). Pharmacokinetic toxicity modeling suggests an intermittent, pulse dosing schedule of PARP inhibition, differentiated by gBRCA mutation status, may improve the benefit/risk ratio of combination therapy.

Conclusions: Carboplatin and talazoparib showed efficacy in DNA damage mutation carriers, but hematologic toxicity was more pronounced in gBRCA carriers. Carboplatin is best combined with intermittent talazoparib dosing differentiated by germline and somatic DNA damage mutation carriers. Clin Cancer Res; 23(21); 6400–10. ©2017 AACR.
The “Burden” of Malignancy in a Tertiary Hospital Intensive Cardiovascular Care Unit
Authors: Mazin Israel , Matetzky Shlomi , Shemer Linor , Fourey Dana , Fefer Paul , Segev Amit , Abu-Much Arsalan , Beigel Roy , Asher Elad ,   for the Platelets and Thrombosis in Sheba (PLATIS) Study Group
Published: August 2017

Objectives: During the past decade, the most common causes of mortality and morbidity were cardiovascular diseases and malignancies. The aim of the current study was to describe the incidence, course of admission, and short-term (30-day) prognosis of patients with and without malignancy, admitted to a tertiary center intensive cardiovascular care unit (ICCU). Methods: A prospective observational study of 2,259 patients admitted to the ICCU was conducted between January 2014 and December 2015. Patients with malignancies (n = 256) were divided into 2 groups: those with solid and those with homogenous tumors. Results: The time of diagnosis was categorized into 3 patient groups: recent (<6 months), 59 patients (23%); late (6-24 months), 49 patients (19%), and very late (>24 months), 148 patients (58%). Those with a history of malignancy were older (73 ± 12 vs. 64 ± 15, p < 0.001) and were more likely to be female (p = 0.002). After using a multivariate logistic regression model analysis, no differences were found in therapeutic interventions and clinical outcomes, including major bleeding and acute renal failure, between patients with and without malignancies. Conclusions: Patients with a malignancy comprised about 10% of the entire ICCU population. While mortality was independently associated with advanced age, renal failure, and a diagnosis of ST-elevation myocardial infarction, malignancy alone was not found to be independently associated with a higher mortality rate at 30 days of follow-up.
Women’s Liberation and Anti-Superstition in Wartime Communist Propaganda, 1943-1950
Authors: Kang Xiaofei
Published: August 2017

This article seeks to bridge the hitherto disconnected studies of the “woman question” and “religious question” in the twentieth-century Chinese revolution. It focuses on the issues of women’s liberation and anti-superstition in Communist propaganda through Xiao Erhei jiehun (Young Blackie gets married), a popular novel by the Communist writer Zhao Shuli (1906-70) published in 1943, and examines its impact in comparative context in wartime Communist base areas. Drawing on the religious culture of the author’s native southern Shanxi, this revolutionary classic promoted freedom of marriage through attacking “feudal superstition.” The article compares wartime religious and revolutionary culture in Zhao’s rural Shanxi with the CCP’s cultural and political agendas in its headquarters of Yan’an. Despite its immense success, the novel’s original messages of women’s liberation and anti-superstition gradually became marginal in the early PRC years – both discourses gave way to the party-state’s higher ideological goal of class struggle, and were subsumed into the metanarrative celebrating the absolute leadership of the Communist Party and Mao Zedong.
Discovery of Venezolanoconnus in Costa Rica (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae)
Authors: JAŁOSZYŃSKI PAWEŁ
Published: August 2017

Venezolanoconnus is a small glandulariine genus established by Franz (1988) to accommodate four species known to occur only in Venezuela. Jałoszyński (2012) revised Venezolanoconnus, illustrated and described its morphological structures, redefined the genus and transferred one of the Franz's species to Euconnus Thomson, 1859. Species included in this interesting genus resemble Euconnus in their general appearance and some morphological characters, but differ in the subcontiguous hind coxae, separated only by a pair of spines of the metaventral intercoxal process, single (and rudimentary) basal fovea on each elytron, and a unique structure of the aedeagus. The latter has the parameres not slender, as those in all species of Euconnus and most Glandulariini, but extremely broadened; they surround the median lobe in its proximal half and are fused to each other dorsally and meet along midline ventrally. The parameres are hyaline and their margins may be hardly discernible in ventral view; in lateral view the narrowing apical region of each paramere is well-visible, it bears several short setae distributed apically and subapically and at least partly shifted to the dorsal surface. Venezolanoconnus can also be recognized on the basis of an unusually swollen maxillary palpomere III and a very small palpomere IV; the mandibles lacking preapical teeth, the pronotum broadest behind middle, the head relatively small in relation to the pronotum and elytra, and the gradually thickened antennae.
Death Anxiety Among New Zealanders: The Predictive Roles of Religion, Spirituality, and Family Connection
Authors: MacLeod Rod , Wilson Donna M. , Crandall Jackie , Austin Phil
Published: August 2017

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate attitudes of New Zealanders toward death and dying. We administered an online version of Collett–Lester Fear of Death Scale and Concerns about Dying Instrument subscales to a representative sample of the New Zealand population. One thousand one people responded to the survey, where the largest age-group lay between 30 and 39 years. Respondents with strong religious beliefs showed strongest agreement to being anxious about their own death compared to those who have no religious beliefs ( p = .0005). Conversely, participants with strong spiritual beliefs did not feel anxious about dying (=.0005). Participants with strong family connections believed their religion/spirituality helped them think about death compared to those with weak family connections ( p > .0001). Our findings show that strong religious beliefs significantly predict higher levels of death anxiety compared to participants with strong spiritual beliefs. This is probably due to the cultural identity of those sampled.
Beyond Grief and Survival
Authors: Lee Eunjin , Kim Sung won , Enright Robert D.
Published: August 2017

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the characteristics of posttraumatic growth arising from losing an immediate family member to suicide in Korea. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis for data collection and analysis and conducted in-depth interviews with 11 participants in Korea to evaluate the positive changes subsequent to the suicide. Participants revealed positive outcomes in response to losing an immediate family member to suicide after suffering the “most unimaginable pain” including (a) “Now I know what the most important thing in life is,” (b) “Warm and intimate relationships matter,” and (c) “Survivors of suicide’s search for meaning.” The implications of these findings and avenues for future research are discussed.
Pearls and pitfalls for prescribing opioids in a climate of increased provider scrutiny
Authors: Gedzior Joanna , Kwong Arlen
Published: August 2017

In August 2016, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, issued a letter to healthcare providers requesting aid in addressing “an urgent health crisis facing America: the opioid epidemic.” In this article, we address some of the more poignant challenges that surface in treating patients with opiate addiction. We provide an outline of recommendations from the leading medical organizations to educate primary care providers on how to navigate patients to decreased or discontinued medication loads.
Primary Unit Cohesion Among the Peshmerga and Hezbollah
Authors: Nilsson Marco
Published: August 2017

This study analyzes the creation of primary unit cohesion among the Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers fighting the Islamic State in northern Iraq and among Hezbollah fighters active in Syria. For this comparative study, Kurdish soldiers were interviewed on three fronts outside Mosul, Erbil, and Kirkuk in February 2015 and May 2016, and Hezbollah fighters were interviewed in Lebanon in March 2016. In contrast to many studies’ depictions of unit cohesion as relating to shared experiences of training and battle, this study argues that the Kurdish soldiers also import into their units various ideas relating to Kurdish identity. These include ideas about nationalism and religion produced through discourses within the Kurdish military and society. However, Hezbollah seeks to minimize political damage in the multisectarian political context in Lebanon while conducting domestically contested military operations abroad. This has led to a downplaying of the sectarian aspects of the conflict, which could be imported from the Shia community to increase unit cohesion, and to an ideological framing of the conflict. The general ideas circulating in society and the political context therefore matter for the strategies that can be used to increase primary unit cohesion and soldiers’ fighting power.
Stress theory for classical fields
Authors: Kupferman Raz , Olami Elihu , Segev Reuven
Published: August 2017

Classical field theories, together with the Lagrangian and Eulerian approaches to continuum mechanics, are embraced under a geometric setting of a fiber bundle. The base manifold can be either the body manifold of continuum mechanics, the space manifold, or space–time. Differentiable sections of the fiber bundle represent configurations of the system and the configuration space containing them is given the structure of an infinite-dimensional manifold. Elements of the cotangent bundle of the configuration space are interpreted as generalized forces and a representation theorem implies that there exists a stress object representing forces, non-uniquely. The properties of stresses are studied, as well as the role of constitutive relations in this general setting.
Remaking Tank Man, in China
Authors: Hillenbrand Margaret
Published: August 2017

Tank Man, the image of the lone protestor who faced down the tanks near Tian’anmen Square in 1989, leads a vibrant afterlife in political cartoons, memes, and YouTube remixes. In an era when staying memorable increasingly means being searchable online, these digital remakes have helped to keep his image fresh – outside China anyway. In China itself, though, Tank Man is a famously verboten image, mostly policed out of online sight. The digital artists who have repurposed his image are typically so harried by the censors that their work cannot hope to endow Tank Man with mass viral visibility, let alone the iconic status he possesses abroad. But precisely because of their fugitive character – which produces audiences who are alert, amused, and on the qui vive – these repurposings ensure that Tank Man remains the grit in the clam of public secrecy about 1989.
Photographing Imperial Citizenship: The Colonial Office Visual Instruction Committee’s Lanternslide Lectures, 1900–1945
Authors: Moser Gabrielle
Published: August 2017

This article traces one of the first attempts at photographing citizenship by examining some of the 7600 images produced for the Colonial Office Visual Instruction Committee’s lanternslide scheme, a series of geography lectures documenting the land and peoples of the British Empire that circulated in classrooms around the world between 1902 and 1945. This unusual government project brought together imperial propaganda and visual instruction to teach children what it meant to look and to feel like imperial citizens. The lectures on India, in particular, point to the speculative nature of COVIC’s project, which sought to predict which populations might pose a threat to the empire and how they might be safely managed and contained through colonial education. By reading COVIC’s photographs and texts against contemporaneous visual culture in the empire, the article analyses the inconsistencies in photographing imperial citizenship amongst the more recognizable visual categories of race, class and gender.
Cancer, Body, and Mastery at the Intersection of Gender and Race
Authors: Pudrovska Tetyana
Published: August 2017

Using the 2006-2014 data from the Health and Retirement Study, the author compares changes in personal mastery after a new cancer diagnosis among white men, white women, black men, and black women. The author further examines the physical burden of cancer (incontinence, fatigue, pain, and decreased strength) as a mechanism mediating the effect of cancer on mastery in each group and finds that white men experience a substantially more pronounced decline in mastery after the onset of cancer than all women and black men, despite white men’s advantaged material resources and favorable cancer-related symptoms. This steepest decline in mastery among white men is entirely due to a disproportionately adverse effect of physical symptoms on mastery. The author argues that the physical burden of cancer might pose a profound threat to white men’s cultural privilege by undermining the masculine body—a critical and highly visible resource for “doing” masculinity.
The Rimthan Arch, basin architecture, and stratigraphic trap potential in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Wharton Stanley Rich
Published: August 2017

The Rimthan Arch, situated between the Arabian carbonate platform and the Gotnia intrashelf basin, represents a world class hydrocarbon province in Saudi Arabia. Middle to Upper Jurassic shallow-water depositional sequences are associated with productive hydrocarbon fields in which challenges exist in defining exploration targets, mainly stratigraphic trap plays. An attempt is made to investigate the basin depositional architecture on the flank of the Arch and also to model the stratigraphic trap potential of the youngest Arab third-order sequence. The basin architecture, stratal geometries, and impact of tectonics are explored using 3D seismic and well data. Seismic chronostratigraphy, seismic stratigraphy, seismic attribute, and log-based reservoir heterogeneity techniques are applied as an integrated approach to interpret the sequences from basin to reservoir scale. The study identifies two second-order sequences, SEQ 1 and SEQ 2, to frame a 3D geologic model and to examine basin development through time. Results derived from the integrated study indicate that although initial basin subsidence began later in SEQ 1 north of the Arch, it increased appreciably during SEQ 2. The Dhruma J20 maximum flooding surface, Lower Fadhili, and Hanifa provide clues in tracking major basin changes. Seismic stratigraphy applications highlight reflection terminations and prograding stratal geometries throughout the stratigraphic section to demonstrate tectonoeustatic influences. Tectonics impact SEQ 2 more intensely than SEQ 1 and may influence the migration of hydrocarbons across juxtaposed lithologies. A complex association between shallow marine tidal and ramp carbonates, and deeper basin halite beds, is linked to the subsiding Gotnia Basin. Log-facies analysis of the Arab third-order sequence demonstrates reservoir and seal trends, including the stratigraphic entrapment potential along a carbonate ramp profile. Seismic attributes support reservoir-depositional trends and salt-bed geometries. The integrated approach provides a targeted workflow to investigate the complex depositional systems and their stratigraphic trapping potential on the Arch.
Characterization of shallow high-amplitude seismic anomalies in the Hoop Fault Complex, Barents Sea
Authors: Chopra Satinder , Sharma Ritesh Kumar , Grech Graziella Kirtland , Kjølhamar Bent Erlend
Published: August 2017

The shallow migrating hydrocarbon fluids in the western Barents Sea are usually found to be associated with high seismic amplitudes. We have attempted to characterize such shallow high-amplitude anomalies in the Hoop Fault Complex area of the western Barents Sea. The workflow is devised for discrimination of anomalies that are associated with the presence of hydrocarbons from those that are not, and quantifying them further includes the computation of a set of seismic attributes and their analyses. These attributes comprise coherence, spectral decomposition, prestack simultaneous impedance inversion, and extended elastic impedance attributes, followed by their analysis in an appropriate crossplot space, as well as with the use of rock-physics templates. Finally, we briefly evaluate the futuristic efforts being devoted toward the integration of diverse data types such as P-cable seismic as well as controlled-source electromagnetic data so as to come up with an integrated assessment for the prospects and to mitigate risk.
Shaping the nurse of tomorrow
Authors: Foster Sam
Published: August 2017

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, explores the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed pre-registration nursing documentation and invites you to add your voice to the debate
Topical oxygenation therapy in wound care: are patients getting enough?
Authors: Hunt Sharon
Published: August 2017

Wound management is a major burden on today's healthcare provider, both clinically with regard to available resources and financially. Most importantly, it has a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and experience. Within the field of wound care these pressures, alongside an ageing population, multiple comorbidities, disease processes and negative lifestyle choices, increase incidences of reduced skin integrity and challenging wounds. In an attempt to meet these challenges alternative, innovative therapies are being explored to support the wound healing process. Wound care experts are now exploring the scientific, biological aspects of wound healing at a cellular level. They are taking wound care back to basics with the identification of elements that, if introduced as an ‘adjunct’ or as a stand-alone device alongside gold-standard regimens, can positively impact the static or problematic wounds that pose the most challenges to clinicians on a daily basis. This article explores the phenomenon of oxygen, its place in tissue formation and the effect of depletion on the wound healing process and highlights ways in which patients may receive benefit from non-invasive intervention to improve wound care outcomes.
Acronym soup
Authors: McGowan David
Published: August 2017

The collection of associations, committees and working groups involved in the organization of dentistry in the United Kingdom must be unique internationally. For a fiercely independent profession in a nation with a distaste for bureaucracy we have surely some explaining to do, or even pruning to consider. When there are so many voices, are the messages getting lost in the babble. Who is talking to whom and is anyone listening?
Orofacial disease: update for the dental clinical team: 2. ulcers, erosions and other causes of sore mouth part III
Authors: Scully Crispian , Porter Stephen
Published: August 2017

This article discusses the various infective causes of mouth ulcers.
Re: recognizing and caring for the medically compromised child: I. disorders of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
Authors: Barrett D.
Published: August 2017

Sir, I havc just receivcd the October 1998 (25/8) issue. I know it takes time for an article to be reviewed and to be accepted and a furth er period of time be fore it appea rs in print. However this time I believe that you have been “caught with your trousers down”!.
The author's reply
Authors: Lamey P.-J.
Published: August 2017

Sir I thank Richard Graham for pointing out another rare aetiological factor in Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). I think he needs to appreciate that in writing an article for Dental Update of necessity one has to take a general viewpoint and I therefore was not attempting to be encyclopaedic. What I did attempt to do was suggest management protocols based on scientific studies and not anecdotes. Spontaneous remission in BMS, for example, has been reported and may have been the case in the patient they quote. Incidentally, I was incorrectly quoted in the BDJ letter1 and am attributed to report “Oral symptoms seem to occur in approximately half of females with climacteric problems”. What I did say in the BMJ paper2 was that of 104 female patients “in only six were the symptoms of burning mouth syndrome eventually attributcd solely to the climacteric”.
Holistic care and dental practice
Authors: Williams P.R.
Published: August 2017

Sir, I was interested to read your comment about ‘Holistic Care and Dental Practice’ in the December issue of your Dental Update.
Oral medicine and the elderly
Authors: McCreary Christine , Ríordáin Richeal Ní
Published: August 2017

A focus often exists in dental practice on the maintenance and management of the dentition and the periodontium, however, conditions of the oral mucosa and orofacial pain can cause significant problems for older patients. Oral mucosal conditions are more prevalent in older patients and many orofacial pain disorders, such as burning mouth syndrome and trigeminal neuralgia, are more common in patients over the age of 50 years. Although these conditions may not be routinely managed in general practice, identification of these patients in primary care and appropriate referral will lead to more prompt and effective treatment.

Clinical Relevance: Dental practitioners need to be able to identify what is considered to be within the normal physiological limits of the ageing oral tissue and hence what is abnormal and requires further investigation to facilitate appropriate referral.