bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ADA Diabetes Risk Test Adaptation in Indonesian Adult Populations: Can It Replace Random Blood Glucose Screening Test?
Authors: Harbuwono Dante S. , Mokoagow Muhammad Ikhsan , Magfira Nadya , Helda Helda
Published: May 2021

Aims

The use of non-invasive and easily available assessment tools such as the ADA diabetes risk test is recommended for diabetes screening among general population. This study aims to assess the validity of the ADA diabetes risk test in screening for screening hyperglycemia in Indonesian population.

Methods

This cross-sectional study conducted at primary health care in Cibeber sub district at Cilegon city, Banten province, Indonesia. Subjects were aged ≥45 years old without a prior diagnosis of diabetes were recruited consecutively. The risk of hyperglycemia was measured using the ADA Diabetes Risk Test. Random capillary blood glucose (RcBG) with a cut-off value >140 mg/dL used as a comparison.

Results

From a total of 134 subjects, 23.13% of subjects (n = 31) had hyperglycemia. The ADA Diabetes Risk Test gave an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.71 (95% CI: 0.60-0.81) with an optimal cut-off of value ≥5. The sensitivity of the ADA diabetes risk test in diagnosing hyperglycemia was 68% with a false-negative rate (FNR) of 32.26%. Meanwhile, at a cut-off value ≥4, the sensitivity of the ADA Diabetes Risk Test was 93% with an FNR of 9.7%.

Conclusion

ADA diabetes risk test provides a valuable result as a diabetes screening tool in the Indonesian population, thus promotes intervention strategies for population known to be at risk
The Portrayal of Women in Arabic Textbooks for Non-Arabic Speakers
Authors: Izzuddin  , Dalimunthe Reza Pahlevi , Susilo Sulistiyono
Published: May 2021

The portrayal of gender in a textbook is able to influence students’ understanding of the concept of gender equality (GE). The unfair portrayal of women in textbooks will have a negative effect on students’ conceptions of gender. Although some previous studies have found that textbooks portray a fair and constructive picture of women by positioning them on a par with men, other studies have shown that gender inequality still exists in the contents of Arabic textbooks, presenting stereotypical and gender bias. To fill this void, this article uses critical discourse analysis to analyze the content of Arabic textbooks for non-Arabic speakers. It aims at portraying women in Arabic textbooks to non-Arabic speakers. The study findings revealed the tendencies to male firstness by positioning the characters of women being more likely portrayed as subordinates in the Arabic textbooks. In addition, there are imbalances in women portrayal in the visibility, order of mention, and male-to-female ratios in the Arabic textbooks. The results also showed that women in some parts of the Arabic textbooks are also portrayed in a constructive portrayal of having equal rights as men in terms of profession and access to education. This study highlights the importance of the concept of GE in Arabic textbooks to increase social awareness.
The Effect of Mood on Predictive Sentence Processing by Older Adults
Authors: Liu Xinmiao
Published: May 2021

This study examined the effect of mood on predictive sentence processing by older adults. A self-paced reading task was implemented among a group of younger adults and older adults to measure their performance in online sentence processing. Half of the sentences were highly predictable, whereas the other half were lowly predictable. Music was used to induce positive or negative mood. Results show that in the positive mood condition, highly predictable sentences were processed more efficiently than lowly predictable sentences in both older and younger adults, but no significant age difference was found in the effect of predictability. In the negative mood condition, younger adults processed highly predictable sentences more efficiently than lowly predictable sentences, but there was no significant difference in reading times between the different types of sentences in older adults. The findings suggest that predictive sentence processing might be inhibited by negative mood in older adults. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Educational Radio Broadcasting and its Effectiveness on Adult Literacy in Lagos
Authors: Sanusi Bernice O. , Talabi Felix Olajide , Adelabu Omowale T. , Alade Moyosore
Published: May 2021

Education has been identified as one of the most important ways to achieve national development. With 3 million non-literate adults in Lagos State, the commercial nerve center of the nation, radio becomes a veritable medium to teach such adults who, for several reasons including economic, do not have the opportunity of formal schooling. The study assessed the effectiveness of educational radio broadcasting for adult literacy in Lagos State, Nigeria. Five hundred and five (505) adult learners participating in Lagos is Learning Project were purposively selected. Findings showed that a majority (62.4%) of the study participants used the instructional radio program, Mooko Mooka, to prepare for classroom instruction, while 53.5% of the study participants used the program for revision. Findings also revealed that 40.6% of them listened to the program three times per week and this implied that frequency of exposure could influence literacy skill. The study concluded that radio instructional techniques were effective in promoting adult literacy and therefore recommended that the radio listening sessions should be increased as part of efforts to reduce adult illiteracy in the country. Also, community media centers should be created in different communities to encourage group listening where learners can be supervised.
The Tendency of Traditional Costume at Heritage Festival for Cultural Revival
Authors: Minhus S M , Huie Liang
Published: May 2021

A unique phenomenon in Bangladeshi cultural heritage is the tendency to wear traditional costumes at the festivals. This research examines the influence of wearing traditional Bangladeshi costumes for the festival observance. Based on the theoretical background of Bangladeshi festival heritage, five factors were derived: togetherness, tolerance, simplicity, aestheticism, and cultural revival. This research empirically analyzed 310 participant’s data who attended UNESCO (United Nations Economic and Social Council)–recognized world intangible cultural heritage festival, “Pohela Boishakh” (first day of Bengali New Year) held in Bangladesh. Exploratory factor analysis showed that all five factors are statically significant for the impact of heritage festivals. Multiple regression analysis revealed four factors out of five statistically significant for festival importance, and all factors are significant for the tendency of wearing traditional costumes at the heritage festival.
Leaning Into Whole Health: Sustaining System Transformation While Supporting Patients and Employees During COVID-19
Authors: Dryden Eileen M , Bolton Rendelle E , Bokhour Barbara G , Wu Juliet , Dvorin Kelly , Phillips Lauri , Hyde Justeen K
Published: May 2021

Background

The US Veterans Health Administration (VA) is transforming its healthcare system to create a Whole Health System (WHS) of care. Akin to such reorganization efforts as creating patient-centered medical homes and primary care behavioral health integration, the WHS goes beyond by transforming the entire system to one that takes a proactive approach to support patient and employee health and wellness. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic disrupted the VA’s healthcare system and added stress for staff and patients, creating an exogenous shock for this transformation towards a WHS.

Objective

We examined the relationship between VA’s WHS transformation and the pandemic to understand if transformation was sustained during crisis and contributed to VA’s response.

Methods

Qualitative interviews were conducted as part of a multi-year study of WHS transformation. A single multi-person interview was conducted with 61 WHS leaders at 18 VA Medical Centers, examining WH transformation and use during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using rapid directed content analysis.

Results

While the pandemic initially slowed transformation efforts, sites intentionally embraced a WH approach to support patients and employees during this crisis. Efforts included conducting patient wellness calls, and, for patients and employees, promoting complementary and integrative health therapies, self-care, and WH concepts to combat stress and support wellbeing. A surge in virtual technology use facilitated innovative delivery of complementary and integrative therapies and promoted continued use of WH activities.

Conclusion

The pandemic called attention to the need for healthcare systems to address the wellbeing of both patients and providers to sustain high quality care delivery. At a time of crisis, VA sites sustained WH transformation efforts, recognizing WH as one strategy to support patients and employees. This response indicates cultural transformation is taking hold, with WH serving as a promising approach for promoting wellbeing among patients and employees alike.
An educational history of the future
Authors: Dirks Nicholas B
Published: May 2021

The importance of active, “experiential” learning, and the belief that schools and colleges need to engage the world outside their walls in new ways in order to equip students for the rapidly changing future, is increasingly held to be fundamental to any educational program or reform effort, and in particular to the current rethinking about what (and how) students need to learn. In fact, however, this truth was recognized as early as in ancient Athens. In recent years the world has been transformed, and we are now well into a new era of individual and social experience. With the unprecedented processing power of mobile devices, the seemingly endless expansion of storage capacity, and unlimited access to information, we confront a vastly different landscape for education. This essay examines what this all means for education futures.
Political Islam in South Asia: A critical appraisal of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami
Authors: Islam Md Nazrul
Published: May 2021

The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI) is the largest Islamist Party in Bangladesh. It was founded in 1941 in British-India, by Maulana Mawdudi, a prominent South Asian Islamist leader. The BJI has undergone political vicissitudes during its eight-decade-long political history. The most notable political success of the Party was to have a couple of cabinet positions as a coalition partner in the Nationalist–Islamist Government between 2001 and 2006. Since the beginning of the 2010s, the Party has been in severe crisis: most of its national leaders were convicted of war crimes and put to death in the period 2011–2016. This article aims to examine the BJI’s growth and development and role in political Islam in Bangladesh. It also explores the challenges to, and responses of, the Party and their sociopolitical implications for the future of political Islam in Bangladesh. The methodology of the article is a critical analysis based on an exhaustive review of published secondary literature about the Party. The author argues that the BJI has generated a massive Islamic movement and made an enormous contribution to political Islam in Bangladesh. Yet it has failed to reform its almost-century-old organizational structure and modus operandi and effectively respond to the changed social and political contexts of Bangladesh, which has affected its organizational mobility and success.
Book Review: Jyotiprasad Chatterjee and Suprio Basu. Left Front and After: Understanding the Dynamics of Poriborton in West Bengal and Suman Nath. People-Party-Policy Interplay in India: Micro-dynamics of Everyday Politics in West Bengal, c. 2008–2016
Authors: Guha Ayan
Published: May 2021

Jyotiprasad Chatterjee and Suprio Basu. Left Front and After: Understanding the Dynamics of Poriborton in West Bengal. New Delhi, India: Sage. 2020. 255 pages. ₹1,195.

Suman Nath. People-Party-Policy Interplay in India: Micro-dynamics of Everyday Politics in West Bengal, c. 2008–2016. New Delhi, India: Routledge. 2020. 221 pages. ₹995.
Return-to-Play Times and Player Performance After ACL Reconstruction in Elite UEFA Professional Soccer Players: A Matched-Cohort Analysis From 1999 to 2019
Authors: Forsythe Brian , Lavoie-Gagne Ophelie Z. , Forlenza Enrico M. , Diaz Connor C. , Mascarenhas Randy
Published: May 2021

Background:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most common injuries afflicting soccer players and requires a lengthy recovery processes after reconstructive surgery. The impact of ACL reconstruction (ACLR) on return to play (RTP) time and player performance in professional soccer players remains poorly studied.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

To determine player performance and RTP rate and time after ACLR in elite professional soccer players with a retrospective matched-cohort analysis. We expected that the RTP time and rate will be similar to those of other professional-level athletes.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Included were 51 players from 1 of the 5 elite Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) soccer leagues who suffered a complete ACL rupture between 1999 and 2019. These athletes were matched by position, age, season of injury, seasons played, and height and compared to uninjured control players. Change in performance metrics for the 4 years after the season of injury were compared with metrics 1 season before injury. Univariate 2-group comparisons were performed using independent 2-group t tests; Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used when normality of distributions was violated.

Results:

Overall, 41 players (80%) returned to play after ACL rupture, with 6 (12%) experiencing a subsequent ipsilateral or contralateral ACL tear. The mean (±SD) RTP time for soccer players after ACLR was 216 ± 109 days (26 ± 18 games). Injured athletes played significantly fewer games and minutes per season and recorded inferior performances for 2 seasons after their injury ( P < .001). However, the game performance of injured players equaled or exceeded that of their matched controls by season 3 after injury, with the exception of attackers, who demonstrated a continued decline in performance ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

Results indicated that the mean RTP time for soccer players after ACLR is short in comparison with other major sports leagues (216 days). However, RTP rates were high, and rerupture rates were comparable with those of other sports. With the exception of attackers, player performance largely equaled or exceeded that of matched controls by the third postinjury season.
A Tale of Force: Examining Policy Proposals to Address Police Violence
Authors: Preito-Hodge Kayla , Tomaskovic-Devey Donald
Published: May 2021

We develop an explicitly organizational and relational approach to examine the problem of police violence, focusing empirically on prominent policy recommendations to increase officer demographic diversity, raise educational requirements for new officers, and implement community policing strategies. We first review prior research on these proposals, which is surprisingly thin and non-supportive of the proposals. To examine the baseline plausibility of these recommendations, we estimate cross-sectional negative binomial models, regressing counts of police department use of force on indicators of community policing, officer education, and officer racial and gender diversity. We find that police organizations with more college-educated officers are less violent toward citizens, but that the race and sex composition of law enforcement organizations are not associated with lower levels of police violence. After unpacking the community police philosophy into component practices, we find that practices that encourage proactive policing are associated with higher levels of police violence, while those that encourage the formation of relationships with citizens may reduce police violence. In conclusion, we advocate for better data collection on police violence, increased theorizing of police violence as an organizational accomplishment, and future policy interventions that approach police forces as potentially violent and racialized organizations.
What Matters When? Social and Dimensional Comparisons in the Context of University Major Choice
Authors: von Keyserlingk Luise , Dicke Anna-Lena , Becker Michael , Eccles Jacquelynne S.
Published: May 2021

Students compare their achievement to different standards in order to evaluate their ability. We built on the theoretical frameworks of situated expectancy-value theory, dimensional comparison theory, and the big-fish-little-pond effect literature to examine the role of social and dimensional comparisons for ability self-concept and subjective task value (STV) in secondary school and university major choice. We used two German longitudinal data sets from different cohorts with data collection in 12th grade and 2 years after high school graduation (Study 1: N = 2,207, Study 2: N = 1,710). Dimensional and social comparisons predicted students’ self-concept and domain-specific STV in school: Individual achievement was positively related to ability self-concept and STV in the corresponding domain and negatively related in the noncorresponding domain. School-level mean achievement was negatively related to ability self-concept and STV in the corresponding domain. Dimensional comparisons were directly related to university major choice, social comparisons were only indirectly related.
End of Life Decision-Making Challenges in a Latino Patient with COVID-19: Facing Barriers
Authors: Huayanay Irma , Pantoja Celia , Chang Chelsea
Published: May 2021

COVID-19 pandemic brought difficult scenarios that patients and families are facing about end- of-life decisions. This exposed some weak areas in the healthcare system where we can continue improve in reducing disparities and emphasizing advance care planning from a primary level of care. We present a case of challenges in end-of-life decision-making in a Latino patient.
A study of Ophthalmia Neonatorum in the Central Reion of Ghana: Causative Agents and Antibiotic Susceptibility Patterns
Authors: Boadi-Kusi Samuel Bert , Kyei Samuel , Holdbrook Selina , Abu Emmanuel Kwasi , Ntow Jonathan , Ateko Abena Mantebea
Published: May 2021

In developing countries such as Ghana, ophthalmia neonatorum (ON) remains a public health concern. This is because of its unknown etiology patterns, the growing concerns of antibiotic resistance strains and the contribution of ON to childhood blindness. This study was therefore conducted to determine the causative agents, risk factors and the antibiotic sensitivity patterns of micro-organisms associated with ON. A clinic-based prospective study was conducted in the Maternal and Child Health units of six health care facilities in the Central region of Ghana over a period of 17 months. Conjunctival swabs were taken from all neonates with clinical signs of ON. Isolation and characterization of bacteria were done using standard microbiological methods. Additionally, data were collected and analyzed on neonate’s demographics and clinical features of ON. Microbial growth was recorded in 86 cases (52.4%) out of the 110 neonates assessed. Staphylococcus spp. (39.2% of all positive cultures) was the most common causative organism. No case of gonococcus was isolated. Delivery method, vaginal discharge, administration of prophylaxis and weight of neonate were the risk factors associated with the development of ON ( P < .05). The level of resistance to Tetracycline was found to be 73%. Neonatal conjunctivitis is more likely to be acquired postnatal. Culture and sensitivity testing are required as an important guide for treatment. The commonest causative organism, Staphylococcus spp., were found to be resistant to Teteracyline which is currently being used as prophylaxis in the prevention of ON. There is therefore the need to consider alternative measures in the prevention and control of ON.
Training Pharmacy Students in Self-Medication Counseling Using an Objective Structured Clinical Examination–Based Approach
Authors: Farahani Imaneh , Farahani Samieh , Deters Maira Anna , Schwender Holger , Laeer Stephanie
Published: May 2021

Introduction:

Pharmacists play an important role in ensuring the safe, effective, and rational use of drugs in self-medication. Given the potential risks of self-medication, adequate training on self-medication counseling should be provided to pharmacy students during their academic education. Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs) could be used to train pharmacy students in these skills. This study evaluated the efficacy of an OSCE-based approach for training pharmacy students in self-medication counseling and communication skills.

Methods:

This randomized controlled study was conducted among pharmacy students using a pre-post design. The intervention group completed OSCE-based self-medication training, while the control group collected counseling-relevant information from summaries of product characteristics of over-the-counter drugs. The counseling and communication skills of both groups before and after training were assessed by completing OSCEs. The participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire on self-confidence and self-perceived proficiency before each OSCE encounter and a satisfaction survey at the end of the seminar.

Results:

Students were generally satisfied with the seminar. While the OSCE-trained group demonstrated significantly greater increases in counseling skills and self-confidence and self-perceived proficiency than the control group, both groups had similar increases in communication skills.

Conclusion:

The present study suggests that applying OSCEs as a learning tool for self-medication counseling is beneficial for improving students’ counseling skills as well as self-confidence and self-perceived proficiency. These results support the inclusion of OSCEs in pharmacy education and highlight its potential to bridge gaps between knowledge and practice.
Moving Medical Students into Shared Housing During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ludwig Allison B , Meholli Mimoza M , Baum Stephen G , Cassese Todd , Nosanchuk Joshua D
Published: May 2021

A new academic year began in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to allow for in-person learning, a fundamental part of medical education, some medical schools grappled with how to safely move students into shared on-campus housing. The authors describe a behavior-based strategy to safely move students from all parts of the United States to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. This strategy included a school-organized phased move-in that included 14-day quarantines for students coming from states with high COVID prevalence; requiring students to sign a COVID-agreement; the use of a phone-based daily COVID risk assessment; and facilitation of safe in-person social activities with peer monitoring of adherence to behavior guidelines. This strategy resulted in no known transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in student housing between July and October of the 2020 to 2021 academic year. The authors share this strategy in the hope that colleagues at other medical schools will find it useful in utilizing similar behavior-based strategies to keep students safe in shared housing.
Use of sucralose in foods heated during manufacturing does not pose a risk to human health
Authors: Gujral Jaspreet , Carr Jim , Tonucci David , Darwen Chris , Grotz V. Lee
Published: May 2021

Regulatory agencies around the world have found sucralose to be a safe ingredient for use in food. A recent review by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) hypothesized that sucralose use in foods heated during their manufacture might pose a health risk, by resulting in the formation of certain chlorinated compounds; specifically, polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinateddibenzofurans (PCDFs) and/or free or bound 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD), some of which are considered potential carcinogens. The BfR further encouraged the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which is in the process of conducting a staged re-evaluation of a range of food additives, including sucralose, to specifically address their hypothesis. This paper reports the results of new studies requested by EFSA to analyze for the presence of PCDDs, PCDFs and 3-MCPDs in a range of foods. As requested, foods were prepared with typical sucralose use levels and thermally processed under typical food processing conditions. The presence of the compounds of interest were analyzed using validated and accepted analytical methods (e.g. US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); American Oil Chemists Society (AOCS)). The results of these new analytical studies show no evidence for the formation of these compounds due to sucralose presence. This paper also reports a critical analysis of the studies cited in the BfR review as the basis for its hypothesis. This analysis shows that the cited studies do not represent food manufacturing conditions and are thus not reliable for predicting the fate of sucralose in foods. This work reaffirms that sucralose is safe for use in food manufacture, including when heating is required.
Scapular Notching Following Ipsilateral Traumatic Clavicle Fracture in Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: A Case Report
Authors: Tat Jimmy , Sheth Ujash , Nam Diane
Published: May 2021

Introduction

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) procedures are becoming increasingly more common. While the main complications are known, the management of clavicle fractures in patients with an ipsilateral RTSA is not well described. There are three case studies that document clavicular stress fractures following RTSA with an atraumatic etiology, and to our knowledge, no studies have described a traumatic clavicular fracture following RTSA.

Case

We describe the case of a 75-year-old woman with a traumatic clavicle fracture five years after RTSA for rotator cuff tear arthropathy. With minimal pain and subjective symptoms initially, the patient wished to pursue non-operative treatment. However, she eventually developed a painful non-union and pseudoparalysis of the shoulder with serial radiographs demonstrating progressive superior scapular tilting and scapular notching. Subsequent open reduction internal fixation of her clavicle fracture significantly improved her pain and function.

Conclusion

We report a traumatic clavicle fracture in the setting of RTSA that not only failed to heal but also resulted in scapular notching and shoulder pseudoparalysis that was improved with surgical stabilization of the fracture. It is possible that the setting of a semi-constrained RTSA, the resulting biomechanical imbalance may predispose to impaired fracture healing and non-union of the clavicle fracture.
Sustainability as a Real Utopia – Heuristics for transformative sustainability research
Authors: Harnesk David , Isgren Ellinor
Published: May 2021

The idea of ‘Sustainability as a Real Utopia’ elaborated on here adapts sociologist Erik Olin Wright’s emancipatory social science and is a heuristic informed by critical realism and social theory for interdisciplinary research on viable alternatives that move society towards achieving sustainability. Starting from the proposition that many environmental problems are rooted in how social structures and institutions interact with nature by shaping human agency, we argue for concretely situated analysis aimed at guiding human agency towards changing those root causes. Then, drawing on concrete examples from sustainability research, we elaborate on three central tasks: diagnosing and critiquing environmental problems, elaborating viable alternatives and proposing a theory of transformation. Finally, we discuss, and welcome dialogue around two central and interlinked challenges of our approach to transformative sustainability research: that of scales, and that of the distinction and relationship between reforms and transformation.
Congenital aniridia: clinical profile of children seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, South-West Nigeria
Authors: Ugalahi Mary Ogbenyi , Ibukun Folahan Adesola , Olusanya Bolutife Ayokunnu , Baiyeroju Aderonke Mojisola
Published: May 2021

Purpose:

To describe the clinical features of patients younger than 16 years with aniridia presenting to the Paediatric Ophthalmology unit of the Eye Clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

Methods:

The is a retrospective review of children with aniridia seen between May 2015 and April 2019 at the Paediatric Ophthalmology unit of the Eye Clinic, University College Hospital in Ibadan. Data on demographic characteristics, presenting complaints, ocular and systemic examination findings, and interventions were collected and descriptively summarised.

Results:

A total of 28 eyes of 14 patients were studied. The mean age was 6.37 ± 4.98 years. Seven (50%) patients were male. Aniridia was diagnosed in first-degree relatives of nine patients. The most common complaint at presentation was poor vision in 11 (78.6%) patients. Objective visual acuity assessment was obtained in 22 (78.6%) eyes. Presenting visual acuity was worse than 20/60 in all 22 eyes and worse than 20/400 in 8 (36.4%) eyes. Refraction was performed in 17 (60.7%) eyes and revealed a mean spherical equivalent of −3.93 ± 5.99 diopters. Twenty (71.4%) eyes had corneal opacities, and lenticular opacities were seen in 15 (62.5%) of 24 eyes. Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) at presentation was 21.62 ± 10.4 mmHg; 12 (41.4%) eyes had elevated IOP at presentation. Ten (35.7%) eyes had cataract surgery and six (21.4%) eyes had glaucoma surgery.

Conclusion:

Familial aniridia was common in this study, and most of the patients presented with moderate to severe visual impairment. The common ocular associations were refractive error, cataract, corneal opacity and glaucoma.
Experimental investigation on stir casting of a metal matrix composite material
Authors: Kumar Himanshu , Shiva S.
Published: May 2021

In this article, Al7075 matrix with SiC as reinforcement particle was developed and the mechanical properties such as tensile strength, hardness, and impact strength was investigated. Aluminum is preferred as a matrix phase because Al alloys have low density and good ductility. Silicon carbide is chosen as a reinforcement phase due to its brittle and hard properties to enhance the wear properties. Mechanical properties of aluminum metal matrix have been tested at different temperatures and holding time. It shows an ultimate tensile strength of 121 N/mm2 at 800°C processing temperature and 20 mins of holding time. At a processing temperature of 850°C, it shows maximum hardness and impact strength. Among all the fabrication processes, stir casting is chosen because stir casting process is the simplest and cheapest for fabricating metal matrix composites (MMCs). Microelectronic and aerospace packaging industry requires a material with optimum hardness and impact strength to prevent the material from wear and impact during material handling. These MMCs will be a replacement for traditionally used materials such as W-Cu, BeO, and Kovar in packaging application.
Comparative neurotranscriptomics reveal widespread species differences associated with bonding
Authors: Tripp Joel A. , Berrio Alejandro , McGraw Lisa A. , Matz Mikhail V. , Davis Jamie K. , Inoue Kiyoshi , Thomas James W. , Young Larry J. , Phelps Steven M.
Published: May 2021

Background

Pair bonding with a reproductive partner is rare among mammals but is an important feature of human social behavior. Decades of research on monogamous prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), along with comparative studies using the related non-bonding meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), have revealed many of the neural and molecular mechanisms necessary for pair-bond formation in that species. However, these studies have largely focused on just a few neuromodulatory systems. To test the hypothesis that neural gene expression differences underlie differential capacities to bond, we performed RNA-sequencing on tissue from three brain regions important for bonding and other social behaviors across bond-forming prairie voles and non-bonding meadow voles. We examined gene expression in the amygdala, hypothalamus, and combined ventral pallidum/nucleus accumbens in virgins and at three time points after mating to understand species differences in gene expression at baseline, in response to mating, and during bond formation.

Results

We first identified species and brain region as the factors most strongly associated with gene expression in our samples. Next, we found gene categories related to cell structure, translation, and metabolism that differed in expression across species in virgins, as well as categories associated with cell structure, synaptic and neuroendocrine signaling, and transcription and translation that varied among the focal regions in our study. Additionally, we identified genes that were differentially expressed across species after mating in each of our regions of interest. These include genes involved in regulating transcription, neuron structure, and synaptic plasticity. Finally, we identified modules of co-regulated genes that were strongly correlated with brain region in both species, and modules that were correlated with post-mating time points in prairie voles but not meadow voles.

Conclusions

These results reinforce the importance of pre-mating differences that confer the ability to form pair bonds in prairie voles but not promiscuous species such as meadow voles. Gene ontology analysis supports the hypothesis that pair-bond formation involves transcriptional regulation, and changes in neuronal structure. Together, our results expand knowledge of the genes involved in the pair bonding process and open new avenues of research in the molecular mechanisms of bond formation.
KLK11 promotes the activation of mTOR and protein synthesis to facilitate cardiac hypertrophy
Authors: Wang Yi , Liao Hongjuan , Wang Yueheng , Zhou Jinlin , Wang Feng , Xie Yingxin , Zhao Kun , Gao Weinian
Published: May 2021

Background

Cardiovascular diseases have become the leading cause of death worldwide, and cardiac hypertrophy is the core mechanism underlying cardiac defect and heart failure. However, the underlying mechanisms of cardiac hypertrophy are not fully understood. Here we investigated the roles of Kallikrein 11 (KLK11) in cardiac hypertrophy.

Methods

Human and mouse hypertrophic heart tissues were used to determine the expression of KLK11 with quantitative real-time PCR and western blot. Mouse cardiac hypertrophy was induced by transverse aortic constriction (TAC), and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was induced by angiotensin II. Cardiac function was analyzed by echocardiography. The signaling pathway was analyzed by western blot. Protein synthesis was monitored by the incorporation of [3H]-leucine. Gene expression was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR.

Results

The mRNA and protein levels of KLK11 were upregulated in human hypertrophic hearts. We also induced cardiac hypertrophy in mice and observed the upregulation of KLK11 in hypertrophic hearts. Our in vitro experiments demonstrated that KLK11 overexpression promoted whereas KLK11 knockdown repressed cardiomyocytes hypertrophy induced by angiotensin II, as evidenced by cardiomyocyte size and the expression of hypertrophy-related fetal genes. Besides, we knocked down KLK11 expression in mouse hearts with adeno-associated virus 9. Knockdown of KLK11 in mouse hearts inhibited TAC-induced decline in fraction shortening and ejection fraction, reduced the increase in heart weight, cardiomyocyte size, and expression of hypertrophic fetal genes. We also observed that KLK11 promoted protein synthesis, the key feature of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, by regulating the pivotal machines S6K1 and 4EBP1. Mechanism study demonstrated that KLK11 promoted the activation of AKT-mTOR signaling to promote S6K1 and 4EBP1 pathway and protein synthesis. Repression of mTOR with rapamycin blocked the effects of KLK11 on S6K1 and 4EBP1 as well as protein synthesis. Besides, rapamycin treatment blocked the roles of KLK11 in the regulation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrated that KLK11 promoted cardiomyocyte hypertrophy by activating AKT-mTOR signaling to promote protein synthesis.
Prevalence of latent tuberculosis in patients with hematological neoplasms in a cancer referral hospital in Mexico City
Authors: Osorio-López Erick Antonio , Vilar-Compte Diana , García-Tirado Jaquelyn , Martin-Onraet Alexandra
Published: May 2021

Objective

To determine the prevalence of Latent Tuberculosis in patients with hematological neoplasms at the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología in Mexico City using the Tuberculin skin test (TST).

Methods

This retrospective study included all patients with a recent diagnosis of hematological neoplasms who were admitted for treatment from 2017 to 2018 and who were screened for latent tuberculosis with the TST. The prevalence of latent tuberculosis in this group, tolerance and therapeutic adherence in treated patients are described.

Results

The files of 446 patients with hematological malignancy who had a TST were reviewed. The prevalence of latent tuberculosis was 31.2% (n = 139). Ninety-three patients received isoniazid, 15.1% had some adverse reactions, but only 4 (4.3%) had to discontinue treatment. Two patients with latent tuberculosis under treatment with Isoniazid reactivated tuberculosis infection.

Conclusions

The prevalence in our study was within the range of other similar Mexican populations. Isoniazid treatment had an adequate tolerance and adherence. Longer follow-up could offer more information on the risk of reactivation in both groups.
Perceived barriers to the adoption of active surveillance in low-risk prostate cancer: a qualitative analysis of community and academic urologists
Authors: Ellis Shellie D. , Hwang Soohyun , Morrow Emily , Kimminau Kim S. , Goonan Kelly , Petty Laurie , Ellerbeck Edward , Thrasher J. Brantley
Published: May 2021

Background

Clinical practice guidelines recommend active surveillance as the preferred treatment option for low-risk prostate cancer, but only a minority of eligible men receive active surveillance, and practice variation is substantial. The aim of this study is to describe barriers to urologists’ recommendation of active surveillance in low-risk prostate cancer and explore variation of barriers by setting.

Methods

We conducted semi-structured interviews among 22 practicing urologists, evenly distributed between academic and community practice. We coded barriers to active surveillance according to a conceptual model of determinants of treatment quality to identify potential opportunities for intervention.

Results

Community and academic urologists were generally in agreement on factors influencing active surveillance. Urologists perceived patient-level factors to have the greatest influence on recommendations, particularly tumor pathology, patient age, and judgements about the patient’s ability to adhere to follow-up protocols. They also noted cross-cutting clinical barriers, including concerns about the adequacy of biopsy samples, inconsistent protocols to guide active surveillance, and side effects of biopsy procedures. Urologists had differing opinions on the impact of environmental factors, such as financial disincentives and fear of litigation.

Conclusions

Despite national and international recommendations, both academic and community urologists note a variety of barriers to implementing active surveillance in low risk prostate cancer. These barriers will need to be specifically addressed in efforts to help urologists offer active surveillance more consistently.
Increased serum concentration of netrin-1 after intravitreal bevacizumab injection: is it a compensatory mechanism to counteract drug side effects?
Authors: Okutucu Murat , Fındık Hüseyin , Aslan Mehmet Gökhan , Arpa Medeni
Published: May 2021

Background

To evaluate alterations in the serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and netrin-1 after intravitreal bevacizumab (BCZ) injection for the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods

This prospective case-control study included a total of 50 participants assigned to one of three groups, including 10 individuals with DME and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), 13 with DME, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), and 27 healthy individuals as a control group. Serum VEGF and netrin-1 concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) immediately before, as well as 1 week and 1 month after, intravitreal BCZ injection.

Results

The mean VEGF serum concentrations in the PDR and NPDR groups were 388.4 and 196.9 pg/mL at baseline, respectively. After 1 week, these concentrations changed to 193.41 and 150.23 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively); after 1 month, the concentrations were 97.89 and 76.46 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.001 and P = 0.009, respectively). The mean netrin-1 serum concentrations in the PDR patients and NPDR groups were 318.2 and 252.7 pg/mL at baseline, respectively. After 1 week, these concentrations increased to 476.6 and 416.3 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.033 and P = 0.005, respectively), and after 1 month, they were 676.6 and 747.5 pg/mL, respectively (P = 0.001 and P = 0.005, respectively). The correlation analysis revealed a significant inverse relationship between changes in serum VEGF and netrin-1 concentrations in both the PDR and NPDR groups (r = − 0.685, P = 0.029).

Conclusions

Intravitreal BCZ injections work systemically to significantly decrease serum VEGF levels, leading to a significant upregulation in the concentration of another angiogenic mediator, netrin-1.
Successful rescue of a lethal Griscelli syndrome type 2 presenting with neurological involvement and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a case report
Authors: Zhang Qing , Zhao Yun-Ze , Ma Hong-Hao , Wang Dong , Zhang Nan , Li Zhi-Gang , Zhang Rui
Published: May 2021

Background

Griscelli syndrome type 2 (GS2) is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations inRAB27Agene. It is primarily characterized by a combination of partial albinism, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) or other immunodeficiency. However, neurological involvement at onset in GS2 and treatment has rarely been described.

Case presentation

We describe a 3-year-old boy with GS2 in an Asian Chinese family. He presented with progressive neurological abnormalities following unremitting fever at onset. He developed HLH during the clinical course. A novel homozygous mutation (c.1 A > G) inRAB27Agene was subsequently identified. He was then treated by HLH-1994 protocol combined with ruxolitinib and experienced a dramatic remission. He subsequently underwent a successful haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and stayed at a good condition.

Conclusions

We reported an atypical form of GS2 manifesting as severe central nervous system involvement at onset and subsequent HLH, which was successfully rescued in time. This case also highlights the need for early consideration of immunologic and genetic evaluation for HLH in unexplained neuroinflammation in the diagnostic work up.
Sociodemographic correlates of public stigma about mental illness: a population study on Hong Kong’s Chinese population
Authors: Lo Lincoln Lik Hang , Suen Yi Nam , Chan Sherry Kit Wa , Sum Min Yi , Charlton Cheung , Hui Christy Lai Ming , Lee Edwin Ho Ming , Chang Wing Chung , Chen Eric Yu Hai
Published: May 2021

Background

Individuals with psychiatric disorders are often unwilling to seek help or often follow treatment regimens, fearing public stigma. This study identified the sociodemographic correlates of public stigma while accounting for mental health literacy and life satisfaction.

Methods

This study analysed data for 1514 individuals who participated in a population-based random telephone survey conducted in 2018. Sociodemographic characteristics included gender, age, education level, and occupation. Data on public stigma, mental health literacy, and life satisfaction were also collected. Multiple linear regression was conducted to examine the effects of sociodemographic characteristics on public stigma. A moderation analysis was performed to investigate the role of age and education in the relationship between mental health literacy and public stigma.

Results

Sociodemographic characteristics, such as female gender, older age, lower education, and occupation (particularly retired and homemakers), were associated with a higher public stigma. The association between public stigma and mental health literacy was the most significant among individuals aged 50 years and above with lower education levels.

Conclusions

This study showed that certain population subgroups, based on their sociodemographic profile, have a higher stigma about mental illnesses. Understanding the differential effects of sociodemographic factors on public stigma is imperative to developing effective anti-stigma campaigns.
Assessing training needs in infectious disease management at major ports, airports and ground-crossings in Europe
Authors:   for the EU HEALTHY GATEWAYS Joint Action consortium, de Rooij Doret , Belfroid Evelien , Hadjichristodoulou Christos , Mouchtouri Varvara A. , Raab Jörg , Timen Aura
Published: May 2021

Background

The implementation of core capacities as stated in the International Health Regulations (IHR) is far from complete, and, as the COVID-19 pandemic shows, the spreading of infectious diseases through points of entry (POEs) is a serious problem. To guide training and exercises, we performed a training needs assessment on infectious disease management among professionals at European POE.

Methods

We disseminated a digital questionnaire to representatives of designated airports, ports, and ground-crossings in Europe. Topics were derived from the IHR core capacities for POEs. Based on the importance (4-point Likert scale) and training needs (4-point Likert scale), we identified the topics with the highest priority for training. These results were put in further perspective using prior experience (training < 3 year, exercise < 5 years, events < 5 years). Also, preferences for training methodologies were assessed.

Results

Fifty questionnaires were included in the analyses, representing 50 POEs from 19 European countries. Importance is high for 26/30 topics, although scores widely vary among respondents. Topics with a high training need (16/30) are amongst others the handling of ill travelers; using and composing the public health emergency contingency plan, and public health measures. Respondents from ports and airports attribute equal importance to most topics, but respondents from ports showed higher training needs on 75% of the topics. POEs are unevenly and generally little experienced. The most preferred training methods were presentations. Simulation is the preferred methodology for training the handling of ill or exposed travelers.

Conclusions

The European workforce at designated ports, airports and ground-crossings has a different level of experience and perceives varying importance of the topics assessed in our study. We identified the topics on which training is required. We call for European collaboration between POEs to agree upon the importance of infectious disease management, and to jointly build a trained and prepared workforce that is ready to face the next crisis.