bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Laryngeal Schwannoma: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tulli Michele , Bondi Stefano , Smart Chanel Elisha , Giordano Leone , Trimarchi Matteo , Galli Andrea , Di Santo Davide , Biafora Matteo , Bussi Mario
Published: October 2017

Objective

This review summarizes the clinical features, diagnostic workup, and surgical treatment of laryngeal schwannoma with the aim of providing guidance for the management of this rare disease. The collated data allowed the statistical testing of several hypotheses, including the efficacy of endoscopic vs open surgical intervention and the usefulness of preoperative biopsy.

Data Sources

PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and SCOPUS.

Review Methods

Basic epidemiological and clinical presentation data were collated together with details of diagnostic image modality, lesion attributes, and the use of preoperative biopsy. Surgical approach to intervention and outcome was also collated and simple statistical analyses applied.

Results

The 60 original articles selected provided a combined cohort of 74 patients for review. The combined data revealed that schwannoma with pedunculated morphology were always safely removed by endoscopic resection regardless of size and should be treated as a separate entity. Of the nonpedunculated schwannoma, larger tumors were more likely to undergo an open approach, which in turn was associated with higher rates of tracheotomy and postoperative vocal fold paralysis. The small cohort did not reveal a significant association between surgery type and persistent disease. Interestingly, the data revealed a significant association between the use of incisional biopsy and persistent disease. Cases exhibiting extralaryngeal extension of the lesion were shown to exclusively belong to patients with neurofibromatosis/schwannomatosis syndromes.

Conclusions

Taken together, these findings suggest that incisional biopsy should be avoided, and given the benign nature of the pathology, the least invasive radical approach should be employed.
A Novel Approach to Oropharyngeal Foreign Body Removal
Authors: Strohl Madeleine P. , Dewyer Nicholas A. , Sckolnick Joshua , Ryan William R.
Published: October 2017

Grill wire brush bristle foreign bodies most commonly embed in the oropharynx. Often these bristles can be removed in the clinic; however, on occasion, the patient requires general anesthesia for retrieval because of the gag reflex and difficulty with access and visualization. We report here on 2 cases of patients who underwent successful transoral robotic surgical retrieval of wire bristles from the base of tongue after unsuccessful direct laryngoscopy. Otolaryngologists should be aware of the use of robotic assistance for oropharyngeal foreign body retrieval.
Paravascular spaces at the brain surface: Low resistance pathways for cerebrospinal fluid flow
Authors: Bedussi Beatrice , Almasian Mitra , de Vos Judith , VanBavel Ed , Bakker Erik NTP
Published: October 2017

Clearance of waste products from the brain is of vital importance. Recent publications suggest a potential clearance mechanism via paravascular channels around blood vessels. Arterial pulsations might provide the driving force for paravascular flow, but its flow pattern remains poorly characterized. In addition, the relationship between paravascular flow around leptomeningeal vessels and penetrating vessels is unclear. In this study, we determined blood flow and diameter pulsations through a thinned-skull cranial window. We observed that microspheres moved preferentially in the paravascular space of arteries rather than in the adjacent subarachnoid space or around veins. Paravascular flow was pulsatile, generated by the cardiac cycle, with net antegrade flow. Confocal imaging showed microspheres distributed along leptomeningeal arteries, while their presence along penetrating arteries was limited to few vessels. These data suggest that paravascular spaces around leptomeningeal arteries form low resistance pathways on the surface of the brain that facilitate cerebrospinal fluid flow.
Clinical Outcomes and Failure Rates of Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation in the Knee: A Systematic Review
Authors: Familiari Filippo , Cinque Mark E. , Chahla Jorge , Godin Jonathan A. , Olesen Morten Lykke , Moatshe Gilbert , LaPrade Robert F.
Published: October 2017

Background:

Cartilage lesions are a significant cause of morbidity and impaired knee function; however, cartilage repair procedures have failed to reproduce native cartilage to date. Thus, osteochondral allograft (OCA) transplantation represents a 1-step procedure to repair large chondral defects without the donor site morbidity of osteochondral autograft transplantation.

Purpose:

To perform a systematic review of clinical outcomes and failure rates after OCA transplantation in the knee at a minimum mean 2 years’ follow-up.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A systematic review of the literature regarding the existing evidence for clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCA transplantation in the knee joint was performed using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed, and MEDLINE from studies published between 1980 and 2017. Inclusion criteria were as follows: clinical outcomes and failure rates of OCAs for the treatment of chondral defects in the knee joint, English language, mean follow-up of 2 years and minimum follow-up of 18 months, minimum study size of 20 patients, and human studies. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using a modified version of the Coleman methodology score.

Results:

The systematic search identified 19 studies with a total of 1036 patients. The mean 5-year survival rate across the studies included in this review was 86.7% (range, 64.1%-100.0%), while the mean 10-year survival rate was 78.7% (range, 39.0%-93.0%). The mean survival rate was 72.8% at 15 years (range, 55.8%-84.0%) and 67.5% at 20 years (range, 66.0%-69.0%). The weighted mean patient age was 31.5 years (range, 10-82 years), and the weighted mean follow-up was 8.7 years (range, 2-32 years). The following outcome measures showed significant improvement from preoperatively to postoperatively: d’Aubigné-Postel, International Knee Documentation Committee, Knee Society function, and Lysholm scores. The weighted mean reoperation rate was 30.2% (range, 0%-63%). The weighted mean failure rate was 18.2% (range, 0%-31%). Of note, revision cases, patellar lesions, and bipolar lesions demonstrated worse survival rates.

Conclusion:

Improved patient-reported outcomes can be expected after OCA transplantation, with a survival rate of 78.7% at 10 years. Revision cases, patellar lesions, and bipolar lesions were associated with worse survival rates; therefore, utilization of the most appropriate index cartilage restoration procedure and proper patient selection are key to improving results.
Millennials fail to embrace civic duty to keep informed
Authors: Cannon Douglas F. , Mackay Jenn Burleson
Published: October 2017

Results from a survey here provide little evidence that millennials recognize a civic duty to keep informed in the same way as earlier generations. They show no clear commitment to keeping up with civic or political events, although more than half see news at least six days a week,
Instructional messaging most significant in food recalls
Authors: Farmer Monique , Wang Ming
Published: October 2017

When a food company faces recalls, their crisis communicators need to direct their message to those most likely to be affected—consumers—and provide them with information on how to deal with the recall. The study here by Monique Farmer and Ming Wang demonstrates that a focus on “instructional messaging” correlates with a positive tone in newspaper coverage.
Print newspaper readers more politically active
Authors: Lee Tien-Tsung , Fujioka Yuki
Published: October 2017

A national survey in Taiwan suggests offline political participants spend more time reading print newspapers than those who participate less. Online political participants also read a larger number of print newspapers than do non-participants. To increase readership, newspapers can consider increasing their political coverage and provide mobilizing information that enables citizens to participate in the political process.
Readers react negatively to disclosure of poster’s identity
Authors: McNealy Jasmine
Published: October 2017

Negative consequences can face a news organization that “outs” an anonymous online commenter, according to a qualitative study of one incident of media “doxxing” within The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s online site, cleveland.com . Posters said privacy is a significant issue, and the newspaper violated its ethical duties by unveiling the identity of an anonymous poster, regardless of the reasons. Some also threatened to delete their online user accounts or unsubscribe to the newspaper.
Friendships sustain volunteer newspaper for 21 years
Authors: Smethers J. Steven , Bressers Bonnie , Mwangi Sam C.
Published: October 2017

After the community of Almena, Kansas, lost its newspaper, citizens formed an all-volunteer organization to publish the hyperlocal Prairie Dog Press, which has existed for 21 years. This study examines the dynamics of the organization and volunteers’ motivations and finds collective efficacy and civic engagement at least partially explain the organization’s longevity. Volunteers’ strong bonds with one another have been key to sustaining the newspaper’s production.
Single-camera visual odometry to track a surgical X-ray C-arm base
Authors: Esfandiari Hooman , Lichti Derek , Anglin Carolyn
Published: October 2017

This study provides a framework for a single-camera odometry system for localizing a surgical C-arm base. An application-specific monocular visual odometry system (a downward-looking consumer-grade camera rigidly attached to the C-arm base) is proposed in this research. The cumulative dead-reckoning estimation of the base is extracted based on frame-to-frame homography estimation. Optical-flow results are utilized to feed the odometry. Online positional and orientation parameters are then reported. Positional accuracy of better than 2% (of the total traveled distance) for most of the cases and 4% for all the cases studied and angular accuracy of better than 2% (of absolute cumulative changes in orientation) were achieved with this method. This study provides a robust and accurate tracking framework that not only can be integrated with the current C-arm joint-tracking system (i.e. TC-arm) but also is capable of being employed for similar applications in other fields (e.g. robotics).
Prehistoric trans-continental cultural exchange in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China
Authors: Dong Guanghui , Yang Yishi , Liu Xinyi , Li Haiming , Cui Yifu , Wang Hui , Chen Guoke , Dodson John , Chen Fahu
Published: October 2017

We report dozens of direct radiocarbon dates on charred grains from 22 archaeological sites of the Neolithic and Bronze Ages in the Hexi Corridor, northwest China, a key region for trans-Eurasian exchange in prehistoric and historical times. These charred grains include remains of wheat and barley domesticated in southwest Asia and broomcorn and foxtail millet which originated from north China. Together with previously published radiocarbon dates, we consider these newly obtained radiocarbon results in the context of material cultures associated with them, to explore an episode of trans-continental cultural exchange foci at the Hexi Corridor. Our results show that millet cultivators who used painted potteries from the western Loess Plateau first settled the Hexi Corridor around 4800 BP. Communities who cultivated wheat and barley moved into this region from the west around 4000 BP, bringing with them technologies and materials not seen in central China before, including bronze metallurgy, mud bricks, and mace heads. This was part of the east–west contact which became evident in the Hexi Corridor since the late fifth millennium BP, and continued over the subsequent two millennia, and predated the formation of the overland Silk Road in the Han Dynasty (202 BC–AD 220).
Palaeohydrology and the human impact on one of the largest raised bogs complex in the Western Carpathians (Central Europe) during the last two millennia
Authors: Kołaczek Piotr , Karpińska-Kołaczek Monika , Marcisz Katarzyna , Gałka Mariusz , Lamentowicz Mariusz
Published: October 2017

The Central European area has been extensively studied using qualitative reconstruction techniques focusing on the development of peatlands in the past; however, research based on quantitative techniques is still lacking, especially in relation to highlands and mountainous areas. In this study, we focused on the hydrological changes and human-induced disturbances that affected two raised bogs from the Orawa-Nowy Targ Basin (Carpathian region): Puścizna Krauszowska and Puścizna Mała. We aimed to reconstruct the development of peatlands and changes in water table under different intensities of human activities. Two peat sequences from two different bogs, both possessing absolute chronologies based on high-resolution 14C dating, were examined in terms of pollen, non-pollen palynomorphs, plant macrofossils and testate amoeba records. We detected an asynchronous decrease in the water table level on the bogs that took place between the 4th and the 7th century ad, which occurred simultaneously with a global cold period ad 300–600 (Migration Period) in case of the Puścizna Mała bog. A concurrent but insignificant human impact on bogs was recorded. A distinct wet shift corresponding to the Wolf solar minimum (ca. ad 1280–1340) in Puścizna Mała was detected during ca. ad 1300–1350. The effect of this climatic event on bog hydrology is difficult to estimate because of the simultaneous human-induced deforestation. Drainage and substantial acceleration of peat extraction in the 19th and the 20th century ad led to the significant disturbances in peatland; however, these bogs were still susceptible to dry climatic events.
Early postglacial recolonisation, refugial dynamics and the origin of a major biodiversity hotspot. A case study from the Malá Fatra mountains, Western Carpathians, Slovakia
Authors: Juřičková Lucie , Pokorný Petr , Hošek Jan , Horáčková Jitka , Květoň Jiří , Zahajská Petra , Jansová Anna , Ložek Vojen
Published: October 2017

While general trends in Central European postglacial recolonisation dynamics are relatively well known, we often lack studies on intermediate (meta-population, landscape) scales. Such studies are needed to increase our understanding of, for example, the location of refugia; emergence of endemism, rates and trajectories of postglacial migrations; and anthropogenic landscape changes. Here, we focused on the outer Western Carpathian mountain chain Malá Fatra, which is currently characterised by high biodiversity and endemism and is thus considered a likely refugium of the Last Glacial period for the temperate biota of Eastern–Central Europe. We used molluscs and vascular plants as reference taxonomic groups and supported palaeoenvironmental interpretations of their (sub)fossil assemblages using high-resolution geochemical data. Generally, postglacial biotic successions from the study region fit the standard developmental pattern well in Middle and Eastern European uplands. Nevertheless, we found important biogeographically based peculiarities. In total, more than 50 species per (sub)fossil community at the reference site Valča, including 30 woodland species and 11 Carpathian endemites, make site of the highest known Holocene mollusc species diversity in Europe. Our palaeoecological analysis of this long-term biodiversity hotspot suggests that the Western Carpathians were likely an important source of the postglacial recolonisation of Central Europe by forest biota and, at the same time, an area of refugium-based endemism.
Justice for Ms Dhu
Authors: Klippmark Pauline , Crawley Karen
Published: October 2017

Ms Dhu, an Aboriginal woman belonging to the Yamatji nation, died in police custody in South Hedland, Western Australia, in 2014 within 48 hours of being incarcerated for failing to pay fines. The coroner’s report found that both the police force and medical institution failed to discharge the duty of care owed to Ms Dhu, as their behaviour fell below what was expected of someone in their position. However, the coronial inquiry was unable to account for the ways in which state power and possessive sovereignty is invested in the deaths of Indigenous peoples. This article connects Ms Dhu’s life and death to forms of gendered, institutional and structural racism endemic to the Australian settler state. We then turn to examine the possibilities of justice for Ms Dhu through aesthetic attempts to memorialize her in public spaces of the city of Perth, which carry a promise of justice through their ability to challenge the settler-colonial logic that made possible Ms Dhu’s invisible suffering and the lack of accountability for her death.
Role of molecular markers to predict distant metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma: Promising value ofTERTpromoter mutations and insignificant role ofBRAFmutations—a meta-analysis
Authors: Vuong Huy Gia , Altibi Ahmed MA , Duong Uyen NP , Ngo Hanh TT , Pham Thong Quang , Tran Hung Minh , Oishi Naoki , Mochizuki Kunio , Nakazawa Tadao , Hassell Lewis , Katoh Ryohei , Kondo Tetsuo
Published: October 2017

The presence of distant metastasis is associated with an adverse outcome in papillary thyroid cancer. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the role of molecular markers as predictors for distant metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer. Four electronic databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Virtual Health Library were searched, and odds ratio and its 95% confidence interval concerning the association of BRAF, RAS, and TERT promoter mutations and RET/PTC rearrangements with distant metastasis were calculated using random-effects model. In total, 42 studies with 11,109 papillary thyroid cancers were included for meta-analyses. Overall, the presence of TERT promoter (odds ratio = 5.95; 95% confidence interval = 2.95–11.99), RAS mutations (odds ratio = 2.5; 95% confidence interval = 1.00–6.22), and RET/PTC rearrangements (odds ratio = 1.92; 95% confidence interval = 1.03–3.56) were found to be associated with a significantly increased risk for distant metastasis. BRAF mutations were not associated with an elevated risk for distant metastasis (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% confidence interval = 0.54–1.16). In conclusion, our study demonstrated the promising value of few molecular biomarkers, especially TERT promoter mutations in predicting distant metastasis in papillary thyroid cancers, while BRAF mutations showed no association with distant metastasis. Our study affirms the value of selected mutations for tumor risk stratification and assessment of patients’ prognosis.
Signature of genetic associations in oral cancer
Authors: Sharma Vishwas , Nandan Amrita , Sharma Amitesh Kumar , Singh Harpreet , Bharadwaj Mausumi , Sinha Dhirendra Narain , Mehrotra Ravi
Published: October 2017

Oral cancer etiology is complex and controlled by multi-factorial events including genetic events. Candidate gene studies, genome-wide association studies, and next-generation sequencing identified various chromosomal loci to be associated with oral cancer. There is no available review that could give us the comprehensive picture of genetic loci identified to be associated with oral cancer by candidate gene studies–based, genome-wide association studies–based, and next-generation sequencing–based approaches. A systematic literature search was performed in the PubMed database to identify the loci associated with oral cancer by exclusive candidate gene studies–based, genome-wide association studies–based, and next-generation sequencing–based study approaches. The information of loci associated with oral cancer is made online through the resource “ORNATE.” Next, screening of the loci validated by candidate gene studies and next-generation sequencing approach or by two independent studies within candidate gene studies or next-generation sequencing approaches were performed. A total of 264 loci were identified to be associated with oral cancer by candidate gene studies, genome-wide association studies, and next-generation sequencing approaches. In total, 28 loci, that is, 14q32.33 (AKT1), 5q22.2 (APC), 11q22.3 (ATM), 2q33.1 (CASP8), 11q13.3 (CCND1), 16q22.1 (CDH1), 9p21.3 (CDKN2A), 1q31.1 (COX-2), 7p11.2 (EGFR), 22q13.2 (EP300), 4q35.2 (FAT1), 4q31.3 (FBXW7), 4p16.3 (FGFR3), 1p13.3 (GSTM1-GSTT1), 11q13.2 (GSTP1), 11p15.5 (H-RAS), 3p25.3 (hOGG1), 1q32.1 (IL-10), 4q13.3 (IL-8), 12p12.1 (KRAS), 12q15 (MDM2), 12q13.12 (MLL2), 9q34.3 (NOTCH1), 17p13.1 (p53), 3q26.32 (PIK3CA), 10q23.31 (PTEN), 13q14.2 (RB1), and 5q14.2 (XRCC4), were validated to be associated with oral cancer. “ORNATE” gives a snapshot of genetic loci associated with oral cancer. All 28 loci were validated to be linked to oral cancer for which further fine-mapping followed by gene-by-gene and gene–environment interaction studies is needed to confirm their involvement in modifying oral cancer.
How Do People Experience Early Intervention Services for Psychosis? A Meta-Synthesis
Authors: Hansen Hege , Stige Signe Hjelen , Davidson Larry , Moltu Christian , Veseth Marius
Published: October 2017

We conducted a study to explore how people diagnosed with first-episode psychosis experienced their contact with early intervention services for psychosis and the way these experiences relate to their recovery processes. Our aim was to integrate and describe the service users’ experiences in a rigorous and comprehensive way. A broad literature search was performed in June and July 2016. After screening, 17 qualitative studies were included. We analyzed the findings in two main steps: (a) translating studies into one another and (b) synthesizing the findings from the studies. Through these interpretative processes, we found five new and overarching themes: (a) something is wrong, (b) do for myself, (c) it’s about people, (d) a price to pay, and (e) ongoing vulnerability. We describe these themes as a process that service users’ maneuver through in their contact with the services. Our findings are discussed in light of relevant research.
The Racial Hauntings of One Black Male Professor and the Disturbance of the Self(ves): Self-Actualization and Racial Storytelling as Pedagogical Practices
Authors: Johnson Lamar L.
Published: October 2017

Through a series of racialized stories, I illustrate the familial knowledge, racial hauntings, and educational experiences that forge(d) the beginning and the continuing of my racial identity as a Black male. To examine these stories, I employ racial storytelling as a theoretical, methodological, curricular, and pedagogical tool to assist me in a deep excavation of my past, present, and future selves and to illuminate the literacies that my Black male body brings to the classroom. Racial storytelling illustrates how my racial encounters from the past situate themselves in the current moment and still haunt me today. As such, I (re)enter these embodied stories to demonstrate how life moments impact how I think about racial issues in today’s context. The questions that guide this line of inquiry are the following: (a) How can educators employ racial storytelling as a pedagogical and methodological practice? (b) How can language and literacy scholars of Color use the radical (self) imagination as a thought and concept to face our racial ghosts and to analyze our hauntings? In closing, I propose the radical (self) imagination as a recommendation for literacy scholars of Color and language and literacy education.
Reconstruction of Traumatic Dorsal Loss of the Thumb: Four Different Surgical Approaches
Authors: Adani Roberto , Mugnai Raffaele , Petrella Giovanna
Published: October 2017

Background: This article outlines our methods for thumb reconstruction following dorsal skin loss injury located between the metacarpophalangeal joint (MPj) and the entire nail affecting skin, nail, tendon, and bone in different combinations but with intact sensate palmar skin. Methods: Between 1990 and 2015, 24 patients were treated for dorsal thumb defects using 4 different surgical techniques. Five cases of dorsal compound traumatic loss were reconstructed by custom-made dorsal great toe transfer. Four patients with dorsal skin and nail loss located at the distal phalanx level were covered with the homodigital flap with reverse flow vascularization. In 9 patients presenting skin defects between the MPj and the nail, reconstruction was achieved by means of the kite flap. Six cases suffered extensive dorsal skin loss, and reconstruction was performed using different types of radial forearm flaps (cutaneous, tendineocutaneous, osteocutaneous, and fascial). Results: Flap survival was obtained in all cases. No vascular complications occurred with free vascularized compound toe transfer. Conclusions: Reconstruction of dorsal thumb defects is imperative and its approach is strictly correlated to type of defect, patient’s requests, and flap alternatives. For defects with nail involvement, the free osteo-onychocutaneous flap harvested from the great toe provides the best aesthetic result in selected young and well-motivated patients. An alternative is represented by the dorsoulnar flap, when the defect is located distally, or the fascial pedicle radial forearm flap, for major dorsal thumb defects, in patients refusing microsurgical reconstruction. The kite flap still represents a feasible solution for medium-size defects with an intact nail.
Repeated measures dose-finding design with time-trend detection in the presence of correlated toxicity data
Authors: Yin Jun , Paoletti Xavier , Sargent Daniel J , Mandrekar Sumithra J
Published: October 2017

Background:

Phase I trials are designed to determine the safety, tolerability, and recommended phase 2 dose of therapeutic agents for subsequent testing. The dose-finding paradigm has thus traditionally focused on identifying the maximum tolerable dose of an agent or combination therapy under the assumption that there is a non-decreasing relationship between dose–toxicity and dose–efficacy. The dose is typically determined based on the probability of severe toxicity observed during the first treatment cycle. A novel endpoint, the total toxicity profile, was previously developed to account for the multiple toxicity types and grades experienced in the first cycle. More recently, this was extended to a repeated measures design based on the total toxicity profile to account for longitudinal toxicities over multiple treatment cycles in the absence of within-patient correlation.

Methods:

In this work, we propose to extend the design in the presence of within-patient correlation. Furthermore, we provide a framework to detect a toxicity time trend (toxicity increasing, decreasing, or stable) over multiple treatment cycles. We utilize a linear mixed model in the Bayesian framework, with the addition of Bayesian risk functions for decision-making in dose assignment.

Results:

The performance of this design was evaluated using simulation studies and real data from a phase I trial. We demonstrated that using available toxicity data from all cycles of treatment improves the accuracy of maximum tolerated dose identification and allows for the detection of a time trend. The performance is consistent regardless of the strength of the within-patient correlation. In addition, the use of a quasi-continuous total toxicity profile score significantly increased the power to detect time trends compared to when binary data only were used.

Conclusion:

The increased interest in molecularly targeted agents and immunotherapies in oncology necessitates innovative phase I study designs. Our proposed framework provides a tool to tackle some of the challenges presented by these novel agents, specifically through the ability to understand patterns of toxicity over time, which is important in the cases of cumulative or late toxicities.
An update on prucalopride in the treatment of chronic constipation
Authors: Omer Anam , Quigley Eamonn M.M.
Published: October 2017

Chronic constipation (CC) is a highly prevalent and often under-appreciated gastrointestinal disorder associated with significant impairment in quality of life. Symptoms of constipation are typically present for a number of years prior to a patient seeking help. Lifestyle modifications followed by, or coupled with, over-the-counter laxatives represent the initial treatment option; however, relief for many is limited and dissatisfaction rates for these approaches remain high. Over recent years, therefore, considerable effort has been exerted on the development of novel pharmacological approaches. Two major targets have emerged, motility and secretion. Research on the former led to the development of a number of prokinetic agents capable of stimulating colonic motility and, thus, accelerating colonic transit. Of these, earlier prototypes such as cisapride and tegaserod, though effective, were ultimately withdrawn due to cardiovascular adverse events due in part to receptor non-selectivity. Highly selective serotonergic receptor agonists have since emerged which appear to be equally effective in stimulating gut motility but are devoid of cardiac side effects. One such agent is prucalopride, which has now been approved for the management of chronic idiopathic constipation in several countries, but not in the United States. Multiple multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials have demonstrated superiority for prucalopride compared to placebo in the short to medium term in relieving the major symptoms of constipation in both men and women across a broad spectrum of ages, ethnicities and geographic locations. To date, prucalopride has enjoyed a favorable safety profile and there have been no signals to suggest arrythmogenicity. Efficacy over longer periods of treatment remains to be confirmed. Evidence for efficacy in other forms of constipation, such as opioid-induced constipation and that related to Parkinson’s disease is beginning to emerge; its status in the management of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome or foregut motility disorders, such as gastroparesis, remains to be established.
Step Up & Be Counted! Strategies for Data Collection
Authors: Johnson Kathleen H. , Maughan Erin D. , Bergren Martha Dewey , Wolfe Linda C. , Gerdes Jessica
Published: October 2017

Step Up & Be Counted! (Step Up!) is an innovative project to collect nationally standardized data from the daily documentation of school nurses throughout the United States. Step Up! provides the standardization needed to promote an “apples to apples” analysis of school health resources, interventions, and outcomes across the United States. While some states have collected data for decades and have an effective infrastructure in place, other states are new to data collection and are creating processes to support data collection. Designated State Data Champions have volunteered to collect aggregated de-identified data from school districts throughout their state. The following is a discussion of some of the data collection innovations shared by Designated State Data Champions at the 2017 NASN Annual Conference.
Fleeing from Frankenstein’s monster and meeting Kafka on the way: Algorithmic decision-making in higher education
Authors: Prinsloo Paul
Published: October 2017

In the socio-technical imaginary of higher education, algorithmic decision-making offers huge potential, but we also cannot deny the risks and ethical concerns. In fleeing from Frankenstein’s monster, there is a real possibility that we will meet Kafka on our path, and not find our way out of the maze of ethical considerations in the nexus between human and nonhuman agencies.

In this conceptual article, I map seven dimensions of student surveillance on an experimental matrix of human-algorithmic interaction to consider some of the ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making in higher education. The experimental matrix of human-algorithmic decision-making uses the four tasks of ‘sensing’, ‘processing’, ‘acting’ and ‘learning’ to open up algorithmic-human agency as comprising a number of possibilities such as (1) where only humans perform the task; (2) where the task is shared between humans and algorithms; (3) where algorithms perform the task but with humans supervising; and (4) where algorithms perform the tasks with no human oversight.

I use this matrix to engage with seven dimensions of how higher education institutions collect, analyse and use student data namely (1) automation; (2) visibility; (3) directionality; (4) assemblage; (5) temporality; (6) sorting; and (7) structuring. The article concludes by proposing a number of pointers to be taken into consideration when implementing algorithms in a higher education context from a position of an ethics of care.
Validity of algorithm for estimating left sided filling pressures on echocardiography in a population referred for pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Leung Eric C. , Swiston John R. , AlAhmari Leena , AlAhmari Tasneem , Huckell Victor F. , Brunner Nathan W.
Published: October 2017

The determination of LV filling pressure is integral to the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) has devised algorithms for their estimation. We aimed to test these algorithms in a population referred for suspected PAH. In our retrospective study, we evaluated the accuracy of the ASE Algorithms compared to right heart catheterization done within three months, in patients seen during 2006–2014. All echocardiograms were classified as showing normal, elevated or indeterminate filling pressures. Those with indeterminate pressures were excluded. We evaluated the diagnostic properties of this algorithm to predict a pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP) and left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) >15 mmHg. A total of 94 patients were included. The ASE algorithms yielded indeterminate results in 50 (53.2%) patients. This occurred more commonly in older patients and patients with cardiovascular comorbidities. The algorithm had a high sensitivity for predicting an elevated PAWP at 89.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 66.9–98.7) and an elevated LVEDP at 100% (95% CI = 76.8–100). The algorithm had a negative predictive value of 81.8% and 100% for predicting an elevated PAWP (95% CI = 52.4–94.8) and LVEDP, respectively, but a poor positive predictive value. The ASE algorithm for predicting LV filling pressures often cannot be applied in populations with suspected PAH. When they are interpretable, they have a high negative predictive value for elevated PAWP and LVEDP. We recommend caution when using these algorithms in populations with suspected PAH.
Epidemiology and management of healthcare-associated bloodstream infections in non-neutropenic immunosuppressed patients: a review of the literature
Authors: Calik Basaran Nursel , Ascioglu Sibel
Published: October 2017

Advancements in medicine have led to a considerable increase in the proportion of patients living with severe chronic diseases, malignancies, and HIV infections. Most of these conditions are associated with acquired immune-deficient states and treatment-related immunosuppression. Although infections as a result of neutropenia have long been recognized and strategies for management were developed, non-neutropenic immunosuppression has been overlooked. Recently, community-acquired infections in patients with frequent, significant exposure to healthcare settings and procedures have been classified as ‘healthcare-associated infections’ since they are more similar to hospital-acquired infections. Most of the non-neutropenic immunosuppressed patients have frequent contact with the healthcare system due to their chronic and severe diseases. In this review, we focus on the healthcare-associated bloodstream infections in the most common non-neutropenic immunosuppressive states and provide an update of the recent evidence for the management of these infections.
Treatment of postaxial polydactyly with plantar plate and medial collateral ligament reconstruction after supernumerary excision: A case report
Authors: Escudero Mario I , Seebach Klaus , Parekh Selene G , Pellegrini Manuel J
Published: October 2017

Introduction:

Polydactyly is the most common congenital foot anomaly and consists of partial or complete duplication of a toe. Traditionally, surgical treatment has been amputation. There is little evidence when surgical treatment requires repairing the stabilizing structures of the metatarsophalangeal joint

Objective:

Assess the functional and radiologic outcomes of a case of postaxial polydactyly requiring plantar plate plate and medial collateral ligament reconstruction.

Methods:

A 59-year-old female presented at clinic complaining from bilateral fifth toe polydactyly and metatarsalgia. A rudimentary extra toe with bony structures poorly developed was observed in the left foot. An excision was performed on the left foot. In the right foot, a fully developed extra digit was observed with medial and downwards deviation underneath the fourth metatarsal.

Results:

Medial fifth-toe excision, plantar plate repair and medial collateral ligament reconstruction were performed due to malformation and widening of the distal surface of the plantar plate. Patient satisfaction and adequate functional status were observed at one-year follow-up.

Conclusion:

The plantar plate is the principal stabilizer of the MTP joint; therefore its reconstruction is of paramount importance for forefoot biomechanics.
Bringing Field Theory to Social Media, and Vice-Versa: Network-Crawling an Economy of Recognition on Facebook
Authors: Lindell Johan
Published: October 2017

Social media research needs social theory in order to historicize and contextualize findings. At the same time, (analogue) social theory may benefit from the affordances of digital methods. This article explores this Janus-faced argument by way of a Facebook crawl of the Swedish field of culture. First, it is argued that field theory helps understand inter-institutional interaction on social media, and that it places activities on social media in a broader social context. Findings of the Facebook crawl illustrate the persistence of the structure and autonomy of the field of culture as depicted by Bourdieu. Second, despite Bourdieu’s rejection of network analysis, it is argued that it supplements empirical field research on two counts. Bourdieu argued for a relational understanding of the social world and for the study of “objective relations” between agents in a field. Following this, the network analysis provides a focus on actual practices—crystallized acts of recognition in the form of “likes” between institutions. This contrasts the somewhat oxymoronic use of self-reports to study “objective relations” that to date characterize Bourdieusian sociology. Additionally, the network analysis of a crawl of institutions on social media has the capacity to begin to uncover the amplitude, or reach, of a social field—which to date is rare in empirical field research. The article concludes by arguing for the mutual benefit of social theory and digital methods.
Women’s Rights in Jeopardy: The Case of War-Torn South Sudan
Authors: Hove Mediel , Ndawana Enock
Published: October 2017

This study asserts that women’s rights are far from being recognized in South Sudan despite its efforts to include the rights of women in the Transitional Constitution after its attainment of independence from Sudan in 2011. While the article acknowledges the traditional modernization theory and cultural sovereignty theory, it engages international human rights standards as its conceptual framework. Using documentary research methodology involving analysis of primary and secondary sources, the manuscript established that a plural justice system involving incompatible customary and civil law failed to defend women’s rights in the country. This was worsened by the country’s descent into a civil war a few years after independence. Again, the fact that South Sudan has effectively been without a functioning permanent constitution and is one of the main challenges facing the country did not help the situation either. However, South Sudan still has opportunities to advance the promotion of women’s rights if, among other things, the ongoing civil war ends and the guidelines of its Transitional Constitution are to be effectively enshrined in a new constitution of the country with a view of implementing them.
Human rights fact-finding and the CIA’s rendition, detention and interrogation programme: A response to Cordell
Authors: Blakeley Ruth , Raphael Sam
Published: October 2017

In her article, ‘Measuring extraordinary rendition and international cooperation’, Rebecca Cordell seeks to subject the Rendition Flights Database to a model-based, statistical analysis. She argues that her analysis suggests that more countries were involved in the CIA’s rendition programme than our work has previously established, and that many more flights in the database are likely to be connected to rendition operations than we have identified. While we would not dispute the likelihood that both of these statements are correct, and we have always presented our findings with an acknowledgement that they provide a necessarily limited account of the rendition, detention and interrogation (RDI) programme, we suggest that Cordell’s work should be approached with some caution. This is so for two reasons. First, her findings – although derived through a different mode of analysis from our own – do not appear to move beyond those we have already published. Second, because Cordell has not triangulated her analysis with either data relating to transfers of specific prisoners, or with evidence relating to which countries hosted prisons for the CIA and the operational dates for these prisons, we question her claim that the flights she has identified from the Database are ‘likely rendition flights’. We aim to demonstrate the importance of having a clear understanding of the limitations of big data when researching violations of human rights, especially where such data is related to covert operations. We also seek to show why the Renditions Flights Database only has merit when it is triangulated with a wide range of supplementary sources, including first-hand accounts by prisoners themselves, declassified documents from the US Government, and the findings of parliamentary, journalist and legal investigations. It is this process of triangulation which gives the flight data meaning and which makes it of value for establishing the facts of human rights abuses.
The Russian Revolution and the Freedom Struggle in India: Rabindranath Tagore’s Letters from Russia
Authors: Bhattacharya Malini
Published: October 2017

The Russian Revolution and its experiments with socialism impacted the Indian Freedom Struggle in many different ways. Not only did it play a catalytic role in the formation of the Indian Communist Party and eventually helped the transformation of a good number of freedom fighters into communists, but it also initiated debates and discussions within the public domain regarding the relevance of this great political upheaval to the Indian situation even among thinkers and intellectuals who had not been converted to socialist thinking. This essay documents the impact of the Russian revolution on the Bengali intelligentsia who were involved in the freedom struggle. In particular, it chooses one episode, in this complex intellectual history which evolved in many different ways in different parts of India, that is, Rabindranath Tagore’s visit to Soviet Russia in 1930 and assesses the impact of the ideas unleashed by the revolution on the intellectuals in Bengal.
Crisis Management and Corporate Apology: The Effects of Causal Attribution and Apology Type on Publics’ Cognitive and Affective Responses
Authors: Chung Surin , Lee Suman
Published: October 2017

This study examined how corporate apologies influence cognitive and affective public responses (public anger, negative impression, distrust) during an aviation crisis. A total of 192 participants were exposed to one of the two types of causal attribution (internal vs. external) and one of the two types of corporate apology (responsibility-oriented vs. sympathy-oriented). This study found that a responsibility-oriented apology significantly more reduced public anger, negative impression, and distrust of an airline company than a sympathy-oriented apology in an internal/controllable crisis situation. Theoretical and practical implications as well as directions for future research are discussed.
Conceptualizing Value: A Service-ecosystem View
Authors: Vargo Stephen L. , Akaka Melissa Archpru , Vaughan Claudia M.
Published: October 2017

The concepts of value-in-use and value-in-exchange have provided the theoretical foundation for scholarly thought since antiquity. The latter has exerted particular influence in economic and business thought since the time of Adam Smith. However, several value-related research streams have, more recently, drawn attention to the contextual and experiential nature of value creation and determination, shifting primary attention to the importance of value-in-use. The convergence of these streams can be seen in the transcending conceptual framework of service-dominant (S-D) logic and its service-ecosystem perspective. Despite its origination in marketing, S-D logic increasingly represents an interdisciplinary endeavour. This commentary elaborates S-D logic’s conceptualization of value—‘a change in the viability of a system’—by capturing the nature of value through four propositions: (1) value is phenomenological, (2) value is always co-created, (3) value is multidimensional and (4) value is emergent. It also provides some specific suggestions for how future scholarly work can contribute to the further refinement of the understanding of value.
A Novel Casting Technique for Tongue-Type Calcaneus Fractures With Soft Tissue Compromise
Authors: Heintzman Sara E. , Lund Erik A. , Bubla James W. , Whiting Paul S.
Published: October 2017

Displaced calcaneal fractures encompass a spectrum of fracture patterns, many of which are associated with soft tissue complications. Displaced tongue-type calcaneal fractures often cause pressure on the posterior heel skin, particularly when treatment is delayed. Resultant partial- or full-thickness skin necrosis presents significant challenges to the treating surgeon. In this article, the authors report on a case of full-thickness skin necrosis associated with a displaced tongue-type calcaneus fracture. The authors describe the use of a specialized heel window casting technique, which eliminates posterior heel pressure and greatly facilitates soft tissue surveillance and local wound care. The article also reviews the literature on soft tissue complications associated with displaced calcaneus fractures.