bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychometric validation of the Korean version of PROMIS 29 Profile V2.1 among patients with lower extremity problems
Authors: Kim Youngha , Kang Danbee , Kang Eunjee , Lim Jihyun , Kim Sooyeon , Nam Heesu , Shim Sungkeun , Lee Mangyeong , Moon Young-Wan , Lim Seung-Jae , Sung Ki-Sun , Cho Juhee
Published: November 2021

Background

Patients with lower extremity problems (LEP) commonly experience functional loss, pain, decreased range of motion, inadequacy in daily living activities, and structural change in radiographic evaluations. However, the traditional patient-reported outcome measurement which focused on symptoms, had a limited scope of applicability. This study aimed to validate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of PROMIS-29 Profile v2.1 (K-PROMIS-29 V2.1), a multi-dimensional measure for assessing generic profile health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) in a sample of patients with lower extremity problems (LEP).

Methods

Participants were recruited from the orthopedic outpatient clinics at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea from September to October 2018. Participants completed a survey questionnaire that included the K-PROMIS-29 V2.1 and the SF-36v2. Principal component analysis (PCA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Pearson’s correlations were used to evaluate the reliability and validity of the K-PROMIS-29 V2.1.

Results

A total of 299 participants were enrolled in the study and 258 (86%) completed the study questionnaire. The mean age (SD) of the participants was 56.6 (14.5) and 32.3%, 29.8, and 25.2% of the study participants visited outpatient clinics for foot, knee, and hip problems respectively. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 7 sub-domains in K-PROMIS-29 V2.1 ranged from 0.80 to 0.95, indicating satisfactory internal consistency. In CFA, the goodness-of-fit indices were high (CFI = 0.937 and SRMR = 0.061). High to moderate correlations were found between comparable subscales of the K-PROMIS-29 V2.1 and subscales of the SF-36v2 (r = 0.55–0.70).

Conclusions

The K-PROMIS-29 V2.1 is a reliable and valid measure for assessing a broad range of health-related quality-of-life domains in patients with LEP. It would reflect the real-life symptoms experienced by patients with LEP.
Associations of Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis A seropositivity with asthma in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL): addressing the hygiene hypothesis
Authors: Alvarez Christian S. , Avilés-Santa M. Larissa , Freedman Neal D. , Perreira Krista M. , Garcia-Bedoya Olga , Kaplan Robert C. , Daviglus Martha L. , Graubard Barry I. , Talavera Gregory A. , Thyagarajan Bharat , Camargo M. Constanza
Published: November 2021

Background

The hygiene hypothesis posits that microbial exposure reduces risk of asthma and other respiratory-related diseases. Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis A virus (HAV) are common fecal–oral infections. Our study aimed to examine associations of seropositivity to these agents with asthma in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Methods

A total of 12,471 HCHS/SOL participants with baseline data on self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma, and antibodies anti-H. pylori and anti-HAV were included in this cross-sectional analysis. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the overall associations of seropositivity to each agent with asthma. Analyses were also stratified by Hispanic/Latino background. Effect modification by smoking status and nativity were tested. An analysis restricted to individuals with spirometry-defined chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was also considered.

Results

The weighted overall prevalence of asthma was 16.6%. The weighted seroprevalence of H. pylori was 56.6% and of HAV was 76.6%, and they significantly differed by Hispanic/Latino background. After accounting for age, sex, education and other key confounders, we found no associations between H. pylori or HAV seropositivity with asthma (with and without COPD), either for all individuals combined or for any of the six specific backgrounds. There were no significant interactions by smoking and nativity.

Conclusion

Our findings did not provide support for the role of H. pylori or HAV, as evidence of the hygiene hypothesis in asthma among the large and diverse Hispanic/Latino populations of the HCHS/SOL.

Trial registration NCT02060344
HO-1/BMMSC perfusion using a normothermic machine perfusion system reduces the acute rejection of DCD liver transplantation by regulating NKT cell co-inhibitory receptors in rats
Authors: Cao Huan , Wu Longlong , Tian Xuan , Zheng Weiping , Yuan Mengshu , Li Xiang , Tian Xiaorong , Wang Yuxin , Song Hongli , Shen Zhongyang
Published: November 2021

Background

Liver transplantation (LT) is required in many end-stage liver diseases. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) livers are often used, and treatment of acute rejection (ACR) requires the use of immunosuppressive drugs that are associated with complications. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) are used in treatment following LT; however, they have limitations, including low colonization in the liver. An optimized BMMSC application method is required to suppress ACR.

Methods

BMMSCs were isolated and modified with the heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) gene. HO-1/BMMSCs were perfused into donor liver in vitro using a normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) system, followed by LT into rats. The severity of ACR was evaluated based on liver histopathology. Gene chip technology was used to detect differential gene expression, and flow cytometry to analyze changes in natural killer (NK) T cells.

Results

NMP induced BMMSCs to colonize the donor liver during in vitro preservation. The survival of HO-1/BMMSCs in liver grafts was significantly longer than that of unmodified BMMSCs. When the donor liver contained HO-1/BMMSCs, the local immunosuppressive effect was improved and prolonged, ACR was controlled, and survival time was significantly prolonged. The application of HO-1/BMMSCs reduced the number of NKT cells in liver grafts, increased the expression of NKT cell co-inhibitory receptors, and reduced NKT cell expression of interferon-γ.

Conclusions

NK cell and CD8+ T cell activation was inhibited by application of HO-1/BMMSCs, which reduced ACR of transplanted liver. This approach could be developed to enhance the success rate of LT.
Sugar industrialization and distress selling of livestock among the Bodi pastoralists in Ethiopia’s lower Omo valley
Authors: Gebresenbet Fana
Published: November 2021

This article, based on long-term fieldwork, argues that the Bodi, a small agro-pastoral community in Ethiopia’s lower Omo Valley, are experiencing distress selling of livestock and are undergoing collective impoverishment. These processes are a result of the rapid comprehensive transformations unfolding in the valley, which are themselves a product of the state’s aggressive resource extraction interests. These interests mainly relate to the building of the Gilgel Gibe III dam on the Omo River and the establishment of large-scale sugar estates. Increased insecurity in the valley followed these interventions. When combined, these changes resulted in the deterioration of the food security and livelihood situations of the Bodi, and the community attempted to cope by selling animals from their herds. Hence, the main reasons for market engagement relate to (1) coping with hunger, (2) coping with a high incidence of animal diseases and (3) coping with high rates of imprisonment of men. The Bodi also engage in three constrained livelihood alternatives: rain-fed farming, irrigated farming and wage employment. This article recommends that resolving the Bodi’s erosion of livelihoods necessitates addressing insecurity and the related socio-political outcomes, which lie at the heart of the Bodi’s dwindling livelihood situation and impoverishment.
Community engagement in pastoralist areas: Lessons from the public dialogue process for a new refugee settlement in Turkana, Kenya
Authors: Rodgers Cory
Published: November 2021

Large-scale development interventions have long failed to accommodate the needs and preferences of pastoralists or the systems of resource governance and land tenure upon which they rely. However, advocates of rights-based approaches to development emphasise the importance of community participation in planning and agenda-setting, and in Kenya, public participation is a formal constitutional requirement for government decision-making processes. In 2015, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees concluded negotiations with local stakeholders about the use of 15 km2of communal rangelands to build a new refugee settlement in Turkana County, Kenya. Negotiations entailed a community dialogue process involving local people living in the vicinity of the proposed settlement. This paper retrospectively examines the inclusivity of the dialogue process, with particular attention to the involvement of pastoralists and the representation of their interests. Interviews and focus groups conducted with a range of key informants and community stakeholders highlighted two key problems. First, negotiations relied upon a simplistic approach to communal land tenure that overlooked the complexity of overlapping and often contested access rights. Second, there was an over-reliance on urban professionals and politicians as intermediaries between rural communities and development actors. Even where elite intermediaries act in good faith, they may introduce an ‘oppidan bias’ into development policies, thereby marginalising the viewpoints of non-urban, non-sedentary demographics, such as pastoralists. I conclude with recommendations for the UNHCR to develop a more explicit strategy for direct engagement with host community stakeholders in Turkana and with increased attention to the interests of livestock producers and the nuances of pastoralist land use.
Effects of development interventions on pastoral livelihoods in Turkana County, Kenya
Authors: Akall Gregory
Published: November 2021

Turkana County has a long history of drought and development interventions and remains one of the poorest counties in Kenya. In Turkana, livelihoods are increasingly under threat because of climate change, conflict, and the changing land use and management. There are complex interactions between the multiple drivers of change in landscapes and livelihoods in the region. The question addressed here is: How have external development interventions contributed to the changing pastoralist livelihoods in Turkana? This study is specific to the lower part of the Turkwel River basin, particularly the Nanyee irrigated area in Turkwel, Loima sub-County of Turkana County. This article examines the external development interventions during the colonial, post-independence, and contemporary periods to reveal the ways that land use practices and livelihoods have changed across these periods. Land use practices are changing due to the growing human population, droughts, urbanization, and dispossession of grazing areas through state and donor-supported interventions. It is suggested in this article that the change from a system of customary, unrestricted grazing to one of enclosed pastures has threatened pastoral territories, as well as cultures and livelihoods over the past six decades. The new set of development interventions introduced by international and national actors have failed to support local livelihoods, instead joining the list of existing problems that undermine pastoralism, including drought, livestock diseases, and cattle rustling.
Potential efficacy of parent-infant psychotherapy with mothers and their infants from a high-risk population: a randomized controlled pilot trial
Authors: Mattheß J. , Eckert M. , Becker O. , Ludwig-Körner C. , Kuchinke L.
Published: November 2021

Background

Psychotherapy of mother-child dyads is an intervention which was developed to prevent maltreatment and negative children’s development. There is a lack of good-quality research investigating psychotherapeutic interventions and social care for mothers at high-risk living in Mother-Child Facilities in Germany. The present randomized controlled pilot trial (RCT) aimed to evaluate the need for parent-infant psychotherapy (PIP) and to explore its impact on the mother-infant relationship. Primary feasibility objectives were recruitment and attrition, with potential efficacy defined as the secondary feasibility objective.

Methods

This pilot RCT focused on (young) mothers with cumulative risk factors and their infants under 7 months of age living in Mother-Child Facilities. N=32 mother-child dyads were randomly allocated to PIP or Care as usual (CAU). Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months of intervention. The primary potential efficacy outcome was maternal sensitivity. Secondary outcomes were maternal mental health problems, reflective functioning, parenting stress, personality organization, infant’s development, and attachment.

Results

At baseline, all mothers showed low levels of emotional availability, but results revealed improvements in sensitivity, mental health problems, stress, and depressive symptomatology favoring PIP after 6 months. Positive developments in maternal sensitivity, a healthy aspect of mother-child interaction, were only found in the PIP group. Overall attrition was high at 6 months. Some evidence of fewer depressive symptoms and lower maternal distress after 6 months of PIP-intervention exists that did not reach significance.

Conclusion

Findings revealed improvements in the mother’s well-being for both groups, but PIP had a higher impact on the mother-child dyad. In sum, there is some evidence that PIP may represent an effective intervention offer besides the social and pedagogical support in these facilities, but further research is demanded.

Trial registration

DRKS00022485 (retrospectively registered).
Evaluating optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings as potential biomarkers in central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma with or without ocular involvement
Authors: Hassan Muhammad , Halim Muhammad Sohail , Afridi Rubbia , Nguyen Nam V. , Nguyen Quan Dong , Sepah Yasir J.
Published: November 2021

Background

To evaluate spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings as biomarkers in primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) with or without ocular involvement.

Methods

This study was a cross-sectional study and patients with a confirmed diagnosis of PCNSL with or without ocular involvement were included. Patient cohort finder tool was used to identify patients with lymphoma using ICD-10 codes (C82–C88), from January 2004 to October 2017. A total of 14,820 patients were identified. Procedure code (92134) for optical coherence tomography (OCT) was then applied to identify patients who had underdone OCT imaging at ophthalmology clinic. Clinic charts of 460 patients with lymphoma and available OCT were reviewed to identify patients with confirmed diagnosis of PCNSL and divided into two groups (Group 1: with and Group 2: without ocular involvement). OCT scans of patients in both study groups were analyzed for the presence of (1) Hyperreflective deposits in choroid, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), outer and inner retina; (2) RPE thickening; (3) Vitreous debris; (4) Intraretinal fluid; (5) Ellipsoid zone disruption by masked graders. Chi-square was used to analyze the difference between the groups.

Results

Twenty-two eyes (11 patients) with PCNSL were included this study (Group 1: 6 eyes and Group 2: 16 eyes). Mean age of subjects was 65 years. Five patients (45.45%) were female. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for the presence of hyperreflective deposits in choroid, RPE, outer and inner retina, and presence of RPE thickening, intraretinal fluid, and ellipsoid zone disruption. Vitreous debris was found more commonly in group 1 subjects (83%) than group 2 (31.25%) (p = 0.029). All subjects in both groups showed hyperreflective deposits in the RPE demonstrating RPE infiltration. However, RPE thickening was noted only in 3 patients (Group1: 1 and Group2: 2).

Conclusions

OCT finding of hyperreflective deposits present in eyes with lymphoma secondary to PCNSL are also observed in eyes with PCNSL without ocular disease. However, the vitreous deposits are more commonly found in eyes with ocular disease. These hyperreflective deposits can serve as biomarkers for early detection of ocular involvement by PCNSL.
Reducing maritime accidents in ships by tackling human error: a bibliometric review and research agenda
Authors: Dominguez-Péry Carine , Vuddaraju Lakshmi Narasimha Raju , Corbett-Etchevers Isabelle , Tassabehji Rana
Published: November 2021

Over the past decade the number of maritime transportation accidents has fallen. However, as shipping vessels continue to increase in size, one single incident, such as the oil spills from ‘super’ tankers, can have catastrophic and long-term consequences for marine ecosystems, the environment and local economies. Maritime transport accidents are complex and caused by a combination of events or processes that might ultimately result in the loss of human and marine life, and irreversible ecological, environmental and economic damage. Many studies point to direct or indirect human error as a major cause of maritime accidents, which raises many unanswered questions about the best way to prevent catastrophic human error in maritime contexts. This paper takes a first step towards addressing some of these questions by improving our understanding of upstream maritime accidents from an organisation science perspective—an area of research that is currently underdeveloped. This will provide new and relevant insights by both clarifying how ships can be described in terms of organisations and by considering them in a whole ecosystem and industry. A bibliometric review of extant literature of the causes of maritime accidents related to human error was conducted, and the findings revealed three main root causes of human and organisational error, namely, human resources and management, socio-technical Information Systems and Information Technologies, and individual/cognition-related errors. As a result of the bibliometric review, this paper identifies the gaps and limitations in the literature and proposes a research agenda to enhance our current understanding of the role of human error in maritime accidents. This research agenda proposes new organisational theory perspectives—including considering ships as organisations; types of organisations (highly reliable organisations or self-organised); complex systems and socio-technical systems theories for digitalised ships; the role of power; and developing dynamic safety capabilities for learning ships. By adopting different theoretical perspectives and adapting research methods from social and human sciences, scholars can advance human error in maritime transportation, which can ultimately contribute to addressing human errors and improving maritime transport safety for the wider benefit of the environment and societies ecologies and economies.
Informal payments in public hospitals in Malawi: the case of Kamuzu Central Hospital
Authors: Mphande-Namangale Annette , Kazanga-Chiumia Isabel
Published: November 2021

Background

Informal payments in public health facilities act as a barrier to accessing quality health services, especially for poor people. This research aimed to investigate informal payments for health care services at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), a public referral hospital in Malawi. Results of this study provide evidence on the prevalence and influencing factors of informal payments for health care so that relevant policies and strategies may be developed to address this problem.

Methods

This study employed a mixed methods research design. The quantitative study had a sample size of 295 patients and guardians. The qualitative study had 7 key informant interviews (with health workers, health managers and policy makers) and 3 focus group discussions (FGDs) with guardians. Each FGD included 10 participants. Thus, in total, the qualitative sample comprised 52 participants. Quantitative data was analyzed using Excel and STATA. Qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach.

Results

80% of patients and guardians had knowledge of informal payments. Approximately 47% of respondents admitted making informal payments to access health services, and 87% of informal payments were made at the request of a health worker. Lack of knowledge, fear and desperation among patients and guardians, low salaries of health workers, and lack of effective disciplinary measures, were reported as key factors influencing informal payments. Regression analysis results showed that occupation and gender were the main determinants of informal payments.

Conclusions

Informal payments exacerbate inequality in access to free public health services. Particularly, poor people have limited access to health services when informal payments are demanded. This practice is unethical and infringes on people’s rights to universal access to health care. There is a need to strengthen the public health care system by formulating deliberate policies that will deter informal payments in Malawi.
Bilateral subdiaphragmatic kidneys with right-sided renal malrotation
Authors: Elshetry Al Shaimaa Fathi
Published: November 2021

Background

The subdiaphragmatic kidney is a positional variant of the uncommon cephalad renal ectopia, whereas renal malrotation refers to the anomalous renal hilar position. Both anomalies are rare, possibly under-reported, discovered incidentally on radiological examinations since patients are often asymptomatic.

Case presentation

This case report presents a unique renal anatomical variation in a 71-year-old female patient. A bilateral subdiaphragmatic renal ectopia coupled with right-sided renal malrotation, discovered accidentally on abdominal ultrasound (US), and confirmed by abdominal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Conclusions

The presented case of bilateral subdiaphragmatic kidneys associated with right-sided renal malrotation is rare and not previously described in the literature. Radiologists must be familiar with these renal anomalies that can be discovered on imaging performed for other indications. MRI can provide more anatomical data compared to US.
Plantar fasciopathy—looking beyond the obvious? A case report
Authors: Singh Tejinder , Kumar Parijat
Published: November 2021

Background

The biggest challenge in treating this diagnosis is the lack of literature focusing on regional interdependence. The current literature suggests a narrow and localized approach targeting plantar fascia and ankle/foot complex. The literature available on conservative treatment focused on utilizing various inflammatory modalities such as injections and extracorporeal shockwave therapy. The surgical approach targets Baxter’s nerve decompression techniques and releases techniques to the gastrocnemius and plantar fascia. The article focuses on utilizing manual therapy techniques to the lumbosacral spine and plantar fascia. In addition, the neurodynamic flossing targeted lateral plantar nerve mobility.

Case presentation

The patient is a 54-year-old African American female seen for right heel pain at Texas’s outpatient orthopedic physical therapy clinic. The patient had the diagnosis of plantar fasciopathy with negative Windlass testing. The patient was provided manual therapy interventions to the lumbosacral spine and plantar fascia to improve weight-bearing patterns and overall functional outcomes.

Conclusion

The manual therapy interventions to the lumbosacral spine and plantar fascia and flossing techniques to the lateral plantar nerve improved symptoms of heel pain. The patient showed improved outcomes with this approach.
Out-patient triple chronotherapy for the rapid treatment and maintenance of response in depression: feasibility and pilot randomised controlled trial
Authors: Veale David , Serfaty Marc , Humpston Clara , Papageorgiou Andriani , Markham Sarah , Hodsoll John , Young Allan H.
Published: November 2021

Background

Triple chronotherapy (sleep deprivation for 36 h, followed by 4 days of advancing the time of sleep and daily morning bright-light therapy for 6 months) has demonstrated benefits for the rapid treatment of depressive symptoms in four small controlled trials of in-patients.

Aims

To test the feasibility of recruitment and delivery of triple chronotherapy for out-patients with depression (ISRCTN17706836; NCT03405493).

Method

In a single-blind trial, 82 participants were randomised to triple chronotherapy or a control intervention. The primary outcome was the number of participants recruited per month and adherence to the protocol. Secondary outcomes included the 6-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-6) at 1 week. Timings of observer ratings were baseline and 1, 2, 4, 8 and 26 weeks after randomisation.

Results

The triple chronotherapy group stayed awake for the planned 36 h and 89.9% adhered to the plan of phase advance of their sleep over the following 4 days. We achieved our recruitment target (60 participants completed the trial within 13 months). There were no reported adverse side-effects. We found a significant difference between the groups by intention-to-treat analysis for the HRSD-6 at weeks 1, 8 and 26. There was a large effect size of Cohen's d = 0.8 on HRSD-6 score at week 1, increasing to d = 1.30 at week 26. A response (≥50% reduction in symptoms) was achieved by 33.3% in the triple chronotherapy group and 16.2% in the control group. This stayed relatively steady until week 26 (35.9 v. 13.9%).

Conclusions

Triple chronotherapy produced a significant and rapid benefit after 1 week in out-patients with depression that was sustained at 26 weeks. Cost-effectiveness trials with a larger clinical sample are required.
Incidence of suicidality in people with depression over a 10-year period treated by a large UK mental health service provider
Authors: Francis Emma R. , Fonseca de Freitas Daniela , Colling Craig , Pritchard Megan , Kadra-Scalzo Giouliana , Viani Natalia , Chaturvedi Jaya , Denee Tom R. , Kerr Cicely , Desai Mitesh , Scott Gemma , Shetty Hitesh , Broadbent Mathew , Chandran David , Downs Johnny , Velupillai Sumithra , Khondoker Mizanur , Stewart Robert , Dutta Rina , Hayes Richard D.
Published: November 2021

We describe the incidence of suicidality (2007–2017) in people with depression treated by secondary mental healthcare services at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust (n = 26 412). We estimated yearly incidence of ‘suicidal ideation’ and ‘high risk of suicide’ from structured and free-text fields of the Clinical Record Interactive Search system. The incidence of suicidal ideation increased from 0.6 (2007) to 1 cases (2017) per 1000 population. The incidence of high risk of suicide, based on risk forms, varied between 0.06 and 0.50 cases per 1000 adult population (2008–2017). Electronic health records provide the opportunity to examine suicidality on a large scale, but the impact of service-related changes in the use of structured risk assessment should be considered.
Time to put a spotlight on out-patient chronotherapy for depression
Authors: Kallestad Havard , Scott Jan
Published: November 2021

The challenge of identifying efficacious out-patient treatments for depression is amplified by the increasing desire to find interventions that reduce the time to sustained improvement. One potential but underexplored option is triple chronotherapy (TCT). To date, use of TCT has been largely restricted to specialist units or in-patients. Recent research demonstrates that it may be possible to undertake sleep deprivation in out-patient settings, raising the possibility of delivering TCT to broader populations of individuals with depression. Emerging evidence suggests that out-patient TCT is a high-benefit, low-risk intervention but questions remain about how to target TCT and its mechanisms of action. Like traditional antidepressants, TCT probably acts through several pathways, especially the synchronisation of the ‘master clock’. Availability of reliable and valid methods of out-patient measurement of intra-individual circadian rhythmicity and light exposure are rate-limiting steps in the wider dissemination of TCT.
Association of 17q22 Amplicon Via Cell-Free DNA With Platinum Chemotherapy Response in Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Authors: Collier Katharine A. , Asad Sarah , Tallman David , Jenison Janet , Rajkovic Andrei , Mardis Elaine R. , Parsons Heather A. , Tolaney Sara M. , Winer Eric P. , Lin Nancy U. , Ha Gavin , Adalsteinsson Viktor A. , Stover Daniel G.
Published: November 2021

PURPOSE

To determine whether specific somatic copy-number alterations detectable in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) are associated with sensitivity to platinum chemotherapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this secondary analysis of a large cohort of patients with mTNBC whose ctDNA underwent ultralow-pass whole-genome sequencing, tumor fraction and somatic copy-number alterations were derived with the ichorCNA algorithm. Seventy-two patients were identified who had received a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen in the metastatic setting. Gene-level copy-number analyses were performed with GISTIC2.0. Cytobands were associated with progression-free survival (PFS) to platinum chemotherapy using Cox proportional hazards models. The Cancer Genome Atlas and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium data sets were interrogated for frequency of significant cytobands in primary triple-negative breast cancer (pTNBC) tumors.

RESULTS

Among 71 evaluable patients, 17q21 and 17q22 amplifications were most strongly associated with improved PFS with platinum chemotherapy. There were no significant differences in clinicopathologic features or (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy among patients with 17q22 amplification. Patients with 17q22 amplification (n = 17) had longer median PFS with platinum (7.0 v 3.8 months; log-rank P = .015) than patients without 17q22 amplification (n = 54), an effect that remained significant in multivariable analyses (PFS hazard ratio 0.37; 95% CI, 0.16 to 0.84; P = .02). Among 39 patients who received the nonplatinum chemotherapy agent capecitabine, there was no association between 17q22 amplification and capecitabine PFS (log-rank P = .69). In The Cancer Genome Atlas and Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium, 17q22 amplification occurred in more than 20% of both pTNBC and mTNBC tumors, whereas 17q21 was more frequently amplified in mTNBC relative to pTNBC (16% v 8.1%, P = .015).

CONCLUSION

The 17q22 amplicon, detected by ctDNA, is associated with improved PFS with platinum chemotherapy in patients with mTNBC and warrants further investigation.
Enhanced absorption in the space charge region of GaAs solar cells
Authors: Li Yangfeng , Wang Wenqi , Yue Chen , Hu Xiaotao , Song Yimeng , Su Zaole , Jia Haiqiang , Wang Wenxin , Jiang Yang , Chen Hong
Published: November 2021

The photo-generated currents of GaAs solar cells with different lengths of space charge region are obtained and analyzed in this study. The enhanced absorption coefficient in the space charge region is adopted to calculate the photo-generated current based on the solar cell physics theory. The calculated currents coincide well with the experimental currents both under single wavelength incidence and solar spectrum irradiation conditions.
A Revisionist Reading of the Transition of Buddhist Cave-Making from Yungang to Longmen
Authors: Tsiang Katherine Renhe
Published: November 2021

This study reexamines images and textual materials that can be related to the dating and iconography of caves at Yungang and Longmen and the historical transition between them. The transition is associated with the move of the Northern Wei capital from Pingcheng to Luoyang, and the beginnings of the Longmen caves is widely believed to coincide with the establishment of the capital at Luoyang in 495. Inscriptions in the Guyang Cave have been interpreted to support the widely held belief that it was created at the time of the move of the capital. Visual evidence of sculptural practice and transitions in sculptural art that can be observed broadly between caves and cave site can also be seen in micro-environments within a single cave or a single niche that offer new insights. Through comparative analysis of the caves' images and artworks found in other contexts, and their consideration in conjunction with textual materials, the author proposes a revisionist reconstruction of the early work in the Guyang Cave.
From Internationalism to Nationalism
Authors: Banerjee Dwaipayan
Published: November 2021

The steady rollout of Covid-19 vaccines comes attached with a series of difficult questions. Are vaccines a human right? Should patents be enforced in a way that puts people in the global South behind in a global queue? These questions are not new; the world struggled with these ethical dilemmas during the HIV-AIDS pandemic at the end of the twentieth century, when global South governments led by Nelson Mandela fought multinational pharmaceutical corporations for the right to essential life-saving drugs. Can the same strategies be mobilized to deal with inequalities in the distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine? This article demonstrates a technological and geopolitical shift in the last two decades that hinder global South solidarities actualized during the HIV-AIDS pandemic. Instead, Banerjee argues that in the present, multinational corporations and Euro-American governments are trying to reverse some of the key political visions and victories of HIV-AIDS internationalism, exploiting the urgency of the Covid-19 crisis to put in place a new vaccine apartheid.
What Is a “Minority” in an Imperial Formation?
Authors: Werth Paul W.
Published: November 2021

Is minority a term applicable to groups in the Russian Empire, as an imperial formation? This article seeks to answer this question by engaging with two others: (1) Was there a term (or terms) that conveyed that idea? And, (2) Was there a historical experience among particular segments of that society with attributes that we may associate with “minorities”? The article proposes that, on the one hand, there can be no minorities unless a majority has itself come into being, and, on the other, that growing association of the state with the Russian people specifically, and the claim that other East Slavs were also Russian despite regional particularities, along with efforts to create a kind of citizenship through institutions that were inclusive of non-Russian peoples, began to constitute such a majority and minorities in Russia.
The “Fate of Minorities” in the Early Afro-Asian Struggle for Decolonization
Authors: Ewing Cindy
Published: November 2021

This article explores the significance of minority rights to postcolonial internationalism by examining an emerging Afro-Asian collective at the United Nations in the late 1940s. As postcolonial nations became UN member-states, they fostered transnational solidarity through the Arab-Asian group, a predecessor of the Afro-Asian bloc, and constructed an anti-imperial project that directly engaged with the making of the new international human rights system. However, the Arab-Asian group did not advance minority rights in their struggle for decolonization at the UN. Instead, they favored a gradual path toward formal self-rule and the recognition of national self-determination that worked within the international order, most clearly expressed through the removal of a minority rights article in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Self-Minoritization
Authors: Ghazal Amal
Published: November 2021

This article looks at the process through which the Ibadi Mzabi community in the Algerian desert “minoritized” itself during the colonial period, leading into the 1948 elections to represent the Mzab Valley on the newly created Algerian Assembly. This representation legally and effectively incorporated the Mzab into French Algeria and ended its special status as a French protectorate. Mzabi self-minoritization, Ghazal argues, was a process of performative differentiation based on a sectarian identity. It was initiated by the colonized and negotiated with the colonizer, emerging at the intersection of colonialism and the institutionalization of political representation in colonial Algeria. Ghazal defines this process as self-minoritization to attribute a proactive role for, and more agency to, the colonized in claiming a “minority” identity and negotiating a special status within the colonial order.
Zu-Zu's Song
Authors: Neal Mark Anthony
Published: November 2021

The essay explores how the invisibility and trauma of Black women are negotiated in Black sonic culture, utilizing Ricardo Cortez Cruz's experimental novel Five Days of Bleeding (1995), in which the primary female character, Zu-Zu, speaks (and sings) primarily using obscure song lyrics and titles, largely drawn from an archive of Black women's performance.
Anna May Wong and the Color Image
Authors: King Homay
Published: November 2021

In Cinema 1, Deleuze proposes the “color-image,” a type of film image with an “absorbent characteristic” that does not refer to a particular object but seizes all that happens within its range. Like color-images, racial categories have an absorbent, seizing quality: they assert “color” at the expense of the object of representation. Deleuze does not address the potential applications of his concept to race, but they are especially illuminating when applied to early color-process cinema. This essay approaches The Toll of the Sea (dir. Chester M. Franklin, 1922), starring Anna May Wong and set in China, the first Technicolor film to be widely distributed in general release, as a feature-length “China Girl” and feature-length color-image, in Deleuze's sense. It further shows how Wong and her world are virtualized in this film under the rubric of a fictional orientalist palette.
Black One Shot and the Art of Blackness
Authors: Uddin Lisa , Gillespie Michael Boyce
Published: November 2021

This essay reflects on the impulses, aspirations, and process of an online art criticism series called Black One Shot, which ran in 2018 and 2020 on ASAP/J, the open access journal for the Association for the Study of Arts of the Present (ASAP). Sourcing visual and epistolary materials from the series’ production, the coeditors revisit their collaborative effort to discern blackness and pursue object-forward art criticism without foreclosures and guarantees.
Development and application of a hybrid implementation research framework to understand success in reducing under-5 mortality in Rwanda
Authors: Hirschhorn Lisa R. , Frisch Miriam , Ntawukuriryayo Jovial Thomas , VanderZanden Amelia , Donahoe Kateri , Mathewos Kedest , Sayinzoga Felix , Binagwaho Agnes
Published: November 2021

Background: We describe the development and testing of a hybrid implementation research (IR) framework to understand the pathways, successes, and challenges in addressing amenable under-5 mortality (U5M) – deaths preventable through health system-delivered evidence-based interventions (EBIs) – in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Methods: We reviewed existing IR frameworks to develop a hybrid framework designed to better understand U5M reduction in LMICs from identification of leading causes of amenable U5M, to EBI choice, identification, and testing of strategies, work to achieve sustainability at scale, and key contextual factors. We then conducted a mixed-methods case study of Rwanda using the framework to explore its utility in understanding the steps the country took in EBI-related decision-making and implementation between 2000-2015, key contextual factors which hindered or facilitated success, and to extract actionable knowledge for other countries working to reduce U5M.

Results: While relevant frameworks were identified, none individually covered the scope needed to understand Rwanda’s actions and success. Building on these frameworks, we combined and adapted relevant frameworks to capture exploration, planning, implementation, contextual factors in LMICs such as Rwanda, and outcomes beyond effectiveness and coverage. Utilizing our hybrid framework in Rwanda, we studied multiple EBIs and identified a common pathway and cross-cutting strategies and contextual factors that supported the country’s success in reducing U5M through the health system EBIs. Using these findings, we identified transferable lessons for other countries working to accelerate reduction in U5M.

Conclusions: We found that a hybrid framework building on and adapting existing frameworks was successful in guiding data collection and interpretation of results, emerging new insights into how and why Rwanda achieved equitable introduction and implementation of health system EBIs that contributed to the decline in U5M, and generated lessons for countries working to drop U5M.
Setting up child health and mortality prevention surveillance in Ethiopia
Authors: Seale Anna C. , Assefa Nega , Madrid Lola , Wittmann Stefanie , Abdurahman Hanan , Teferi Nardos , Gedefa Letta , Mohamed Alexander , Debela Natnael , Tesfaye Tseyon , Samuel Tigistu , Dubale Mehret , Yigzaw Hiwot , Taye Eyoel , Bekele Workalemahu , Ackley Caroline , Keno Gutema Imana , Zegeye Yosef , Girma Zerihun , Degefa Ketema , Damisse Berhanu , Tadesse Adugna , Aliyi Mohammed , Feyissa Gurmu , Tilahun Yenenesh , Wakwaya Getahun , Sintayehu Bizunesh , Abayneh Getamesay , Alemu Addisu , Azore Emmanuel , Oundo Joe , Mariam Zelalem T , Marami Dadi , Berihun Mulu , Berhanu Mussie , Mekonnen Mahlet , Alemayehu Andualem , Sarkodie-Mensah Nana , Voller Shirine , Jibendi Boniface , Aseffa Abraham , Balcha Taye , F. Breiman Robert , Dowell Scott F , Worku Asnake , Kifle Tsigereda , Abate Ebba , Dessie Yadeta , Scott J. Anthony G.
Published: November 2021

Background: Mortality rates for children under five years of age, and stillbirth risks, remain high in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network aims to ascertain causes of child death in high child mortality settings (>50 deaths/1000 live-births). We aimed to develop a “greenfield” site for CHAMPS, based in Harar and Kersa, in Eastern Ethiopia. This very high mortality setting (>100 deaths/1000 live-births in Kersa) had limited previous surveillance capacity, weak infrastructure and political instability. Here we describe site development, from conception in 2015 to the end of the first year of recruitment.

Methods: We formed a collaboration between Haramaya University and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and engaged community, national and international partners to support a new CHAMPS programme. We developed laboratory infrastructure and recruited and trained staff. We established project specific procedures to implement CHAMPS network protocols including; death notifications, clinical and demographic data collection, post-mortem minimally invasive tissue sampling, microbiology and pathology testing, and verbal autopsy. We convened an expert local panel to determine cause-of-death. In partnership with the Ethiopian Public Health Institute we developed strategies to improve child and maternal health.

Results: Despite considerable challenge, with financial support, personal commitment and effective partnership, we successfully initiated CHAMPS. One year into recruitment (February 2020), we had received 1173 unique death notifications, investigated 59/99 MITS-eligible cases within the demographic surveillance site, and assigned an underlying and immediate cause of death to 53 children.

Conclusions: The most valuable data for global health policy are from high mortality settings, but initiating CHAMPS has required considerable resource. To further leverage this investment, we need strong local research capacity and to broaden the scientific remit. To support this, we have set up a new collaboration, the “Hararghe Health Research Partnership”.
Effects of iron intake on neurobehavioural outcomes in African children: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Mutua Agnes M. , Mwangi Kelvinson , Abubakar Amina , Atkinson Sarah H.
Published: November 2021

Background:Iron deficiency and developmental delay are common in African children. While experimental studies indicate an important role of iron in brain development, effects of iron on child development remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the effects of iron supplementation or fortification on neurobehavioural outcomes in African children and further summarise these effects in children living in non-African countries for comparison.

Methods:We searched PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus and Cochrane Library for studies published up to 22ndOctober 2021. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating effects of iron supplementation or fortification on neurobehavioural outcomes in children. Due to heterogeneity in study methods, we analysed all studies qualitatively and in secondary analyses only seven RCTs with 11 arms were meta-analysed.

Results:We identified 2231 studies and included 35 studies (n=9988) in the systematic review. Only five studies (n=1294) included African children while 30 (n=8694) included children living in non-African countries. Of the five African studies, two (n=647) reported beneficial effects of iron supplementation on neurobehavioural outcomes in anaemic children, while three (n=647) found no beneficial effects. Of 30 studies in children living in non-African countries, 10 (n=3105) reported beneficial effects of iron supplementation or fortification on neurobehavioural outcomes, seven (n=786) reported beneficial effects only in children who had iron deficiency, iron deficiency anaemia or anaemia while 13 (n=4803) reported no beneficial effects.

Conclusions:There are few studies in African children despite the high burden of iron deficiency and developmental delay in this population. Evidence on the effects of iron supplementation on neurobehavioural outcomes remains unclear and there is need for further well-powered studies evaluating these effects in African populations.

PROSPERO registration:CRD42018091278 (20/03/2018)
The genome sequence of the two-banded wasp hoverfly, Chrysotoxum bicinctum (Linnaeus, 1758)
Authors: Hawkes William , Wotton Karl , Smith Matt ,   University of Oxford and Wytham Woods Genome Acquisition Lab,   Natural History Museum Genome Acquisition Lab,   Darwin Tree of Life Barcoding collective,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Tree of Life programme,   Wellcome Sanger Institute Scientific Operations: DNA Pipelines collective,   Tree of Life Core Informatics collective,   Darwin Tree of Life Consortium
Published: November 2021

We present a genome assembly from an individual female Chrysotoxum bicinctum (the two-banded wasp hoverfly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Syriphidae). The genome sequence is 913 megabases in span. The majority of the assembly (98.81%) is scaffolded into five chromosomal pseudomolecules, with the X sex chromosome assembled.
Project management
Authors: Citeladze David
Published: November 2021

The textbook summarizes modern concepts and approaches in the field of project management and is intended for studying training courses on project Management. The textbook materials are based on the recommendations of the International Project Management Association IPMA (International Project Management Association) and international standards ISO 21500 and ISO 21502.
Meets the requirements of the federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation.
For undergraduate, graduate and MBA students of higher educational institutions studying in the direction of "Management". It can be used in practical activities by managers and specialists involved in project management in organizations of various profiles.