bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving the Lifestyle of Adolescents Through Peer Education and Support in Vietnam: Protocol for a Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Tang Hong K , Nguyen Ngoc-Minh , Dibley Michael J , Nguyen Trang H H D , Alam Ashraful
Published: April 2020

Background

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, recent studies found a rapid increase in overweight and obesity in adolescents. There is a need for effective health promotion interventions to support healthy diets and encourage a physically active lifestyle. This study will help fill an evidence gap on effective interventions to prevent excess weight gain in adolescents and generate new insights about peer-led education to promote healthy lifestyles.

Objective

We aim to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a combined peer-led and peer support intervention among junior high school students in Ho Chi Minh City. Additionally, the efficacy of the intervention on adolescents’ dietary practices and time spent on physical activity will also be measured in this pilot study.

Methods

The Peer Education and Peer Support (PEPS) project is a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial with 2 intervention and 2 control schools. The intervention consists of 4 weekly education sessions of why and how to choose healthy food and drinks and how to be more physically active. Additionally, the intervention includes a school-based and online support system to help maintain student engagement during the intervention. We will use in-depth interviews with students, peer leaders, teachers, and parents; focus group discussions with peer educators; and direct observation of the school environment and peer leaders’ interactions with the students. Acceptability and feasibility of the intervention will be assessed. We will also quantitatively assess limited efficacy by measuring changes in student’ physical activity levels and dietary behaviors.

Results

We delivered the peer education intervention at the start of each school year over 3 months for all new grade 6 adolescents in the selected schools, followed by peer support and home engagement activities over 6 months until the end of the school year. There was a baseline assessment and 2 post-intervention assessments: the first immediately after the intervention to assess the short-term impact and the second at the end of the school year to assess the sustained impact on changes in adiposity, diet, and physical activity.

Conclusions

The findings of this study will be used to develop a larger-scale cluster randomized controlled trial to examine the impact of a multicomponent, school- and home-based health promotion intervention. The trial will use innovative peer education methods to reduce overweight and obesity and improve dietary choices and physical activity levels in Vietnamese adolescents.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12619000421134; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=376690&isReview=true

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/15930
Mobile Health Intervention in the Maternal Care Pathway: Protocol for the Impact Evaluation of hAPPyMamma (Preprint)
Authors: Bonciani Manila , De Rosis Sabina , Vainieri Milena
Published: April 2020

BACKGROUND

Mobile health (mHealth) has great potential to both improve the quality and efficiency of care and increase health literacy and empowerment of patient users. There are several studies related to the introduction of mHealth tools for supporting pregnancy and the postnatal period, with promising but not yet rigorously evaluated impacts. This article presents the protocol for evaluating an mHealth intervention (hAPPyMamma) applied in the maternal and child care pathway of a high-income country (in a pilot area of Tuscany Region, Italy).

OBJECTIVE

The protocol describes hAPPyMamma and the methods for evaluating its impact, including the points of view of women and practitioners. The research hypothesis is that the use of hAPPyMamma will facilitate a more appropriate use of available services, a better care experience for women, and an improvement in the maternal competencies of the women using the app compared to the control group. The protocol also includes analysis of the organizational impact of the introduction of hAPPyMamma in the maternal pathway.

METHODS

A pre-post quasiexperimental design with a control group is used to undertake difference-in-differences analysis for assessing the impact of the mHealth intervention from the mothers’ points of view. The outcome measures are improvement of maternal health literacy and empowerment as well as experience in the maternal care pathway of the control and intervention groups of sampled mothers. The organizational impact is evaluated through a quantitative and qualitative survey addressing professionals and managers of the maternal care pathway involved in the intervention.

RESULTS

Following study recruitment, 177 women were enrolled in the control group and 150 in the intervention group, with a participation rate of 97%-98%. The response rate was higher in the control group than in the intervention group (96% vs 67%), though the intervention group had less respondent loss at the postintervention survey (10% compared to 33% of the control group). Data collection from the women was completed in April 2018, while that from professionals and managers is underway.

CONCLUSIONS

The study helps consolidate evidence of the utility of mHealth interventions for maternal and child care in developed countries. This paper presents a protocol for analyzing the potential role of hAPPyMamma as an effective mHealth tool for improving the maternal care pathway at individual and organizational levels and consequently helps to understand whether and how to scale up this intervention, with local, national, and international scopes of application.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

DERR1-10.2196/19073
The Credibility of Physician Rating Websites: A Systematic Literature Review (Preprint)
Authors: Guetz Bernhard , Bidmon Sonja
Published: April 2020

BACKGROUND

The digital assessment of service experiences represents a decisive process step of a feedback culture in numerous economic areas so far. In view of this digitalization of service assessments, the importance of Physician Rating Websites (PRWs) has also increased steadily in recent years. Although these online portals are evidently increasing in popularity, the credibility of ratings and other available information has scarcely been investigated.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to review current literature by focusing on the credibility of information delivered on PRWs. This approach was chosen to address the research question to what extent patients’ subjective assessments on PRWs are credible with regard to the comparison to objective evaluation criteria.

METHODS

In order to implement the literature review, we referred to the PRISMA guidelines. The respective search results of the search engine Google Scholar were chosen as baseline sample. In general, all studies, which compared data from PRWs with other data collections and allowed statements regarding the credibility of information published on PRWs were included in the analysis. Overall, the chosen search strategy led to a database of 24,000 studies covering the area of PRWs. After the application of gross exclusion criteria as well as title and abstract screening, 60 publications were included in the further analysis. Following the application of specific exclusion criteria, we identified 18 studies that met the thematic and qualitative criteria.

RESULTS

The literature review yielded mixed results regarding the credibility of PRWs. While six publications supported the credibility of PRWs, four publications found almost no correlation between PRWs and alternative datasets. Most of the studies found both, arguments for and against the credibility of PRWs. Although the ratings and information on PRWs were not comparable with each selected dataset, most studies found a moderate to strong correlation between patient satisfaction judgements and information published on PRWs.

CONCLUSIONS

Information delivered on PRWs does not seem to be a good representation of objective quality of care and does not seem to be credible with regard to its relationship to professional medical evaluations. There is a significant relationship, however, to other methods of assessing subjective patient perceptions like alternative patient satisfaction measurement methods. Thus, PRWs can be interpreted as a useful tool to assess patient satisfaction and patient experience. Physicians are therefore invited to make the most of this easy tool to assess the patient base’s subjective evaluation of service encounters and use it as an e-WoM tool and for viral marketing purposes. Patients, on the other hand, should be aware that information delivered on PRWs is more or less subjective in nature but can be interpreted as similarly useful as other e-WoM tools.
What can Counselors do to Lessen the Trauma to the DACA Population Caused by the 2016 Election Cycle Rhetoric?
Authors: Chaney Tina , Martin Barbara Nell
Published: April 2020

This case study focused on the impact to DACA participants in a mid-western city enrolled at an urban school setting in a region where 30% of all residing immigrants are unauthorized (Capps & Ruiz Soto, 2016). The investigation aimed to understand if the language used during the 2016 election cycle altered trauma-related behaviors in the DACA population. The data collected during the study suggested that students who identified with the DACA group exhibited trauma-related behaviors different from behaviors previously observed, and the new behaviors were a result of election cycle rhetoric. Implications for counselor training were significant.
A Bilingual Perspective on the Possible Universality of Phonological Awareness Skills Across Two Languages
Authors: Martinelli Victor , Brincat Bernardette
Published: April 2020

Reading comprehension relies on the integration of phonological, semantic, syntactic and pragmatic language abilities. The current study investigated phonological awareness in six-year-old children’s mastery of reading in Maltese and English. The researchers recruited eighty-two bilingual participants attending bilingual schools in Malta and administered two parallel batteries comprising parallel word reading tests and phonological tasks in the two languages. Principal components analysis identified clear componential structures in both of the phonological batteries (Maltese and English). A statistical regression analysis identified similar phonological underpinnings across the two single word reading measures. Specific measures of phonological awareness constituted common phonological underpinnings of reading performance in both Maltese and English, if to different degrees. The results support the notion of similarity in the patterns of association of skills sustaining reading across Maltese and English in bilingual children. The view that the phonological skills underpinning reading development across alphabetic languages may not differ substantially between different orthographies is supported.
A proposed framework for patient engagement throughout the broader research enterprise
Authors: Strassle Camila L , Pearson Steven D
Published: April 2020

Patient engagement in clinical research refers to the involvement of patients beyond the role of research subject. To date, the goals of patient engagement have not been clearly defined for each stage of the research enterprise, which, when viewed broadly, encompasses stages such as setting research priorities, interpreting and incorporating research results in clinical guidance, and translating study results into insurance coverage policies. This article presents a new framework for patient engagement by first describing the goals of patient engagement at each stage of the research enterprise and then establishing how to prioritize the types of patient expertise that are needed to achieve these goals.
Farmer satisfaction and cocoa cooperative performance: evidence from Tocache, Peru
Authors: Higuchi Angie , Coq-Huelva Daniel , Arias-Gutierrez Ruth , Alfalla-Luque Rafaela
Published: April 2020

Cocoa marketing cooperatives are essential in the current model of governance of cocoa production and distribution in Peru and other developing countries. Because farmer satisfaction is particularly important for the success and development of cooperatives, this article focuses on an analysis of the factors related to farmer satisfaction as well as the identification of demographic and socio-economic elements that can explain the different levels of satisfaction among different cooperative members. Data obtained through a survey of 150 cocoa farmers were analyzed through three main statistical methods: (1) an exploratory factor analysis with a principal component analysis method; (2) cluster analysis; and (3) an independent samples t-test. The results confirm that farmer satisfaction is explained by a complex set of cognitive and psycho-social elements and pro-social emotions. Finally, the results indicate that some socio-economic features such as farm size or household size are associated with the varying existing levels of farmer satisfaction.
Field of screams: difficulty and ethnographic fieldwork
Authors: Pollard Amy
Published: April 2020

Ethnographic fieldwork can be a time of intense vulnerability for PhD students. Often alone and in an unfamiliar context, they may face challenges that their pre-fieldwork training has done little to prepare them for. This study seeks to document some of the difficulties that PhD anthropologists at three UK universities have faced. It describes a range of feelings as experienced by 16 interviewees: alone, ashamed, bereaved, betrayed, depressed, desperate, disappointed, disturbed, embarrassed, fearful, frustrated, guilty, harassed, homeless, paranoid, regretful, silenced, stressed, trapped, uncomfortable, unprepared, unsupported, and unwell. The paper concludes with a set of questions for prospective fieldworkers, a reflection on the dilemmas faced by supervisors and university departments, and a proposal for action.
Building understanding: Sensitive issues and putting the researcher in the research
Authors: O'Brien Jennifer
Published: April 2020

Stemming from ethnographic research in a chronically poor district of rural Uganda, this paper recounts a number of attempts to investigate young people’s understanding of HIV and its transmission. The failure of the initial, more traditional methodologies are used to critically evaluate the positionality or role the researcher played as she became embedded within the community to the extent she lost objectivity as a researcher. Inadvertently, a simple building block game was used as a methodology. This was successful in generating interesting ‘data’ and proved that even research groups deemed difficult to access can be reached with some methodological consideration. The tool was, however, almost over successful and generated dramatic ethical dilemmas which ethically questioned the potential of the research and had a significant impact on the researcher. This paper therefore stresses the necessity to give ethical consideration to the research and its participants but to not over look the researcher.
The Transfer of Affective Knowledge as Anthropological Knowledge
Authors: Shapiro Matan
Published: April 2020

Contemporary academic discourse renders knowledge transfer as a reciprocal procedure, which is supposed to generate political engagement, partnership and consent by sharing truthful information. The travel of information in everyday life may however also be thought of in light of disengaging dynamics associated with falsifying, concealing, deceiving, disguising and lying. Partaking from practices of jealousy, sexual betrayal and gossip in a popular neighborhood in North-East Brazil, this article proposes that the transfer of information in the neighborhood necessarily involves strategic considerations about the complex interconnectedness of truth and lie in quotidian practice. In that aspect a narrative is constituted by successfully omitting and occulting some facts just as much as it is by revealing others.
The transfer of European intercultural discourse towards Latin American educational actors: a Mexican case study
Authors: Mateos Laura
Published: April 2020

This paper analyses the ways transfer of the discourse on interculturality and intercultural education, as it has been coined and shaped by European anthropologists and pedagogues, towards educational actors and institutions in Latin America. My ethnographic data illustrate how this intercultural discourse is currently transferred through intellectual networks to different kinds of Mexican actors who are actively “translating” this discourse into the post-indigenismo situation of “indigenous education” and ethnic claims making in Mexico. On the basis of fieldwork conducted in two different institutions in the state of Veracruz, the appropriation and re-interpretation of, as well as the resistance against, the European discourse of interculturality are studied by comparing the training of “intercultural and bilingual” teachers through the state educational authorities and the notion of intercultural education, as applied within the so-called “Intercultural University of Veracruz”.
Comment: Knowledge Transfer – Risks and Possibilities
Authors: Harvey Penny
Published: April 2020

In this article, Harvey comments on the articles of Downing, Shapiro, and Allen.
Quem são os idosos no mercado de trabalho brasileiro? Uma análise do Censo de 2010
Authors: Dias-Costa Ingrid Gomes , Teixeira Karla Maria Damiano
Published: April 2020

Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever o perfil dos idosos inseridos no mercado de trabalho, segundo características sociodemográficas, por meio do cálculo de taxas de participação. Os resultados indicaram que a maioria dos idosos inseridos no mercado de trabalho são homens, residentes na área rural, trabalhadores de atividades agropecuárias, com alta escolaridade, com rendimento de trabalho maior do que cinco salários mínimos, que são chefes do domicílio e estão em união.Palavras-chave: Idosos; Mercado de trabalho; Políticas públicas.
Parametric Decimal Division using Hardware Description Language
Authors: Lopez Botero Jorge Hernan , Restrepo Cardenas Johans , Tóbon Gómez Jorge Enrique
Published: April 2020

In this work we describe a fast and high-precision algorithm written in VHDL Hardware Description Language to perform the division between two_nite decimal numbers, i.e. numbers composed of an integer part and a decimal one, under the scheme of a fixed point representation. The algorithm proposed is not an approximation one as it is usually considered. To do so, the size of the bits of the operands can be tunned by means of a couple of parameters N and M, according to which the latency of the calculation will depend. The project is _nally sinthesized in a _eld programmable gate array or FPGA of the type SPARTAN 3E from XILINX.
Abandon du cannabis chez les jeunes : taux, tendances et résultats scolaires dans une vaste cohorte prospective d’élèves canadiens du secondaire
Authors: Zuckermann Alexandra M. , Gohari Mahmood R. , de Groh Margaret , Jiang Ying , Leatherdale Scott T.
Published: April 2020

Introduction

La légalisation du cannabis au Canada requiert une meilleure compréhension de la prévalence de la réduction volontaire de la consommation de cannabis et des effets subséquents sur les résultats scolaires des jeunes, afin d’éclairer les approches de réduction des méfaits et de promotion de la santé.

Méthodologie

Nous avons analysé les données longitudinales jumelées d’un échantillon (n = 91 774) tiré de l’étude de cohorte prospective COMPASS menée auprès d’élèves canadiens de la 9e à la 12e année de différentes écoles secondaires de l’Ontario et de l’Alberta, entre 2013­2014 et 2016­2017. Nous avons étudié la prévalence de la réduction et de l’abandon spontanés de la consommation de cannabis d’une année scolaire à l’autre (de la 9e à la 10e année, de la 10e à la 11e année, de la 11e à la 12e année), ainsi que l’effet de l’abandon sur la réussite scolaire (notes actuelles ou récentes obtenues en mathématiques et en anglais) et la rigueur (fréquence de réalisation des devoirs et absentéisme au cours des derniers mois).

Résultats

Seulement 14,8 % des consommateurs de cannabis ont réduit leur consommation d’une année scolaire à l’autre. De ce nombre, les deux tiers n’ont apporté que des changements progressifs à la baisse, une tendance qui s’est maintenue au fil des trois changements d’année scolaire. Les taux d’abandon à la suite d’une consommation quotidienne et hebdomadaire ont diminué d’une année à l’autre. Les élèves qui ont cessé de consommer du cannabis ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats que ceux qui ont continué à en consommer (rapport de cotes [RC] = 1,23, intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 % : 1,03 à 1,48) et ils ont obtenu de moins bons résultats, dans certaines souscatégories de rendement en mathématiques, que ceux qui n’en ont jamais consommé (RC = 0,55, IC à 95 % : 0,31 à 0,97). Comparativement aux élèves qui ont continué à consommer du cannabis, ceux qui ont cessé ont tous amélioré leur assiduité aux cours (RC = 2,48, IC à 95 % : 1,93 à 3,19) et la réalisation de leurs devoirs (RC = 2,32, IC à 95 % : 1,85 à 2,92).

Conclusion

Une plus grande rigueur scolaire pourrait être à l’origine des améliorations constatées dans le rendement scolaire après l’abandon du cannabis. Les élèves du secondaire qui consomment du cannabis auront probablement besoin d’un soutien ciblé afin de favoriser la réduction ou l’abandon de la consommation et le rétablissement scolaire subséquent. Il paraît donc justifié de mettre l’accent sur la réduction des effets nocifs du cannabis en milieu scolaire.
Preferred modalities for delivering continuing education to the public health workforce: a scoping review
Authors: Archer Anya , Berry Isha , Bajwa Uttam , Kalda Robyn , Di Ruggiero Erica
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Continuing education (CE) can help public health professionals maintain and further develop their knowledge and skills to adapt to the changing public health landscape. This scoping review aims to identify the preferred modalities for delivering CE to public health professionals and to determine how equity has been incorporated into public health training.

Methods

Using the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews as a guide, we searched four databases for peer-reviewed primary research studies that evaluated public health workforce CE modalities.

Results

The review included 33 studies published between 1 January 2000 and 6 August 2019 from over 11 countries. Most articles broadly described their training audience as public health professionals employed by government or non-governmental organizations. Delivery methods included online, in-person or blended learning (combining online and in-person instruction). Learners strongly preferred self-directed approaches. Organizational support, including protected time for professional development during work hours, was an important enabler of training completion. Commonly cited barriers included course duration and a high number of contact hours.

Conclusion

Findings suggest that there is no single preferred training modality. We identified three elements that influence modality preference: design, delivery and organizational support. Modality should be determined by participants’ location, needs and previous experiences to ensure the content is relevant and delivered in a way that equips learners to apply the knowledge gained.
Online Marketing Impact on Micro-Enterprises: An Insight through Visibility in Search Engines
Authors: Kovalenko Artoym , Kuzmenko Yuliya
Published: April 2020

Transforming marketing into an online format is an inevitable process of developing an information economy. The study of information flows allows using a comprehensive approach to the problems of online marketing. The activities of small businesses are characterized by various limitations, but it is an important factor in increasing the flexibility of the economy and the ability to adapt to changes. The gap in the theory and practice of conducting Internet marketing activity in micro enterprises has helped to shape the relevance of this work. The aim of the study is to research the phenomenon of visibility of Internet websites from the perspective of marketing information flows in the activities of small businesses. The article discusses the theoretical foundations of marketing information flows, Internet marketing, inbound marketing and visibility of Internet websites. The research methodology is based on the methods of marketing analysis and sociological surveys. The study was conducted on the basis of the sampling of 306 websites of small enterprises. The study examined the characteristics of the websites of small enterprises, reflecting the effectiveness of Internet marketing activities. The results show that there is a correlation between the number of applied methods of Internet marketing and the visibility of the websites of small organizations in the search engine. The existence of particular cases of the use of single methods of Internet marketing has been revealed, providing high visibility and effectiveness of Internet marketing activities of small organizations.
Motivators and its impacts on job satisfaction in FDI companies - A case study of Eurowindow Vietnam
Authors: Tri Ho Thanh , Ngoc-Tan Nguyen , Gregar Aleš , Pavelkova Drahomira
Published: April 2020

This study investigates the factors motivating workers and their levels of job satisfaction at Eurowindow Vietnam – an FDI company in the furniture industry based in Hochiminh City, Vietnam. Data for this study were collected by a surveying 202 office workers of the company. A Likert-scale response format questionnaire was used to identify employment attitudes and job satisfaction. The research was carried out based on the theoretical aspects of job satisfaction. Cronbach’s alpha and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were deployed to test the unidimensionality, reliability, and validity of measurement scales. Correlation analysis was carried out to estimate the relation between dependent and independent variables, and within the independent ones. Moreover, multiple regression analysis was adopted to test the hypotheses of the study. The level of job satisfaction was measured by seven dimensions, namely payment, promotion, supervisor, co-workers, work itself, benefits and work environment. The research results showed that work itself, promotion, payment, and supervisor have significant influences on job satisfaction. Findings of this study provide necessary knowledge for the leadership of Eurowindow Vietnam in boosting job satisfaction of their staff. Other FDI enterprises with the same development level may find these results applicable for their organizations. Recommendations for future research are also presented at the end of the study.
Improving the methods of depreciation
Authors: Chernenko A.F. , Maslova T.N.
Published: April 2020

Subject. The article deals with justification and development of a new method for calculating depreciation of fixed assets. Objectives. The purpose is to devise a universal method of depreciation, enabling to correctly assess the participation of fixed assets in the production process and reliably form production costs. Methods. The study employs general scientific methods of analysis. Results. We reviewed existing methods for calculating depreciation of fixed assets that are prescribed by laws and regulations on accounting and taxation, substantiated the need for improving the methods for calculating depreciation of fixed assets of commercial enterprises to form correct cost of production, reflect the real participation of fixed assets in the production process, obtain adequate information for analyzing the efficiency of use of fixed assets. The paper presents a new method to accrue depreciation of fixed assets from the perspective of the time the fixed asset reaches its ultimate limit state. The proposed method is not yet approved by legislative authorities and cannot be used for tax and accounting purposes. Enterprises can accrue depreciation under our method for the purposes of management accounting and analysis. Conclusions. Calculation of depreciation based on the useful life of fixed assets will permit to assess the degree of real participation of instruments of labor in the production process, to obtain objective information about depreciation of fixed assets.
O papel do fisioterapeuta na adaptação laboral em portadores de deficiências físicas
Authors: Zegóbia Ana Rafaela , Mendonça Cíntia Sabino Lavotaro , Ribeiro Ivana Leao
Published: April 2020

O objetivo principal deste trabalho foi analisar a atuação da Fisioterapia na adequação dos postos de trabalho para pessoas que possuem deficiência física ou motora. Foi realizado uma busca da literatura entre os meses de janeiro de 2016 a junho de 2019. As fontes de pesquisa abrangeram, livros didáticos, artigos científicos indexados na BIREME, SCIELO, e GOOGLE ACADÊMICO no período entre 2010 e 2019. Foram utilizados os seguintes descritores: Fisioterapia, Trabalho e Deficiência Física. Já as palavras-chave eleitas foram: Déficit Motor, orientações ergonômicas e tratamento fisioterápico. De acordo com a busca realizada, 25 artigos foram encontrados, dos quais 18 artigos continham informações relevantes para o estudo. Após análise de consenso entre autores, 7 artigos foram excluídos, visto que não estavam de acordo com o objetivo da pesquisa. Assim, 11 artigos foram analisados e seus principais resultados discutidos nesta revisão. A partir desta análise minuciosa, foi constatado que o fisioterapeuta é um profissional capacitado para aprimorar as potencialidades do trabalhador, favorecendo a autonomia do funcionário em seu local de trabalho, através da adoção de métodos disponíveis, que facilitem o desempenho do funcionário durante a execução de suas tarefas operacionais dentro da empresa contratante. Conclui-se que o papel da Fisioterapia é extremamente importante quando o assunto é adequação dos postos de trabalho para pessoas com deficiência física, pois sua atuação gera benefícios significativos, cabendo ao profissional a preservação do ambiente e o controle das barreiras arquitetônicas presentes na empresa, bem como realizar adaptações que favoreçam as práticas operacionais, visando a funcionalidade do trabalhador com deficiência física.
Clinical, immunological and genetic characteristic of patients with clinical phenotype associated to LRBA-deficiency in Colombia.
Authors: Martínez-Jaramillo Catalina , Gutierrez-Hincapie Sebastian , Orrego Arango Julio César , Vazuez-Duque Gloria María , Erazo-Garnica Ruth María , Franco Jose Luis , Trujillo-Vargas Claudia Milena
Published: April 2020

Background: LPS-responsive beige -like anchor protein (LRBA) deficiency is a primary immunodeficiency disease caused by loss of LRBA protein expression, due to biallelic mutations in LRBA gene. LRBA deficiency patients exhibit a clinically heterogeneous syndrome. The main clinical complication of LRBA deficiency is immune dysregulation. Furthermore, hypogammaglobulinemia is found in more than half of patients with LRBA-deficiency. To date, no patients with this condition have been reported in Colombia

 

Objective: To evaluate the expression of the LRBA protein in patients from Colombia with clinical phenotype associated to LRBA-deficiency.

 

Methods: In the present study the LRBA-expression in patients from Colombia with clinical phenotype associated to LRBA-deficiency was evaluated. After then, the clinical, the immunological characteristics and the possible genetic variants in LRBA or other genes associated with the immune system in patients that exhibit decrease protein expression was evaluated.

 

Results: In total, 112 patients with different clinical manifestations associated to the clinical LRBA phenotype were evaluated. The LRBA expression varies greatly between different healthy donors and patients. Despite the great variability in the LRBA expression, six patients with a decrease in LRBA protein expression were observed. However, no pathogenic or possible pathogenic biallelic variants in LRBA, or in genes related with the immune system were found.

 

Conclusion: LRBA expression varies greatly between different healthy donors and patients. Reduction LRBA-expression in 6 patients without homozygous mutations in LRBA or in associated genes with the immune system was observed. These results suggest the other genetic, epigenetic or environmental mechanisms, that might be regulated the LRBA-expression.
Thematic synthesis HIV prevention qualitative studies in men who have sex with men (MSM)
Authors: Mathias Augusto , Dos Santos Lorruan Alves , Grangeiro Alexandre , Couto Marcia Thereza
Published: April 2020

Background:Qualitative studies on HIV prevention strategies and methods among men who have sex with men (MSM) allow identify knowledge gaps and improve preventive actions.

 

Objective:To make a thematic synthesis of the scientific productions that use the qualitative methodology in the strategies and methods of HIV prevention area among MSM.

 

Methods:We conducted a literature review following the guidelines of the ENTREQ protocol. The analysis included 48 empirical studies published in Portuguese, English and Spanish between 2001 and 2018 available in the Medline, Embase, Scielo, Scopus, Bireme and Web of Science databases.

 

Results:Where an increased production in the last six years and concentration in northern countries. Seven prevention methods were part of the study, with emphasis on pre-exposure prophylaxis, testing, condoms and behavioral strategies. The main topics discussed were stigma and support and care networks.

 

Conclusion:we notice that an increasing production on prevention in the men who have sex with men segment results from the emergence of multiple preventive methods and strategies and their combined actions beyond the star role of condoms.
The quality of research with real-world evidence
Authors: Palacios Gómez Mauricio
Published: April 2020

Most of the medical practice has not been proven by controlled clinical trials, and there are no plans to conduct such trials in order to decrease clinician uncertainty. This happens partly due to the difficulty of making designs with scientific and ethical validity, the costs of this type of research and the time required to generate results, which can be several years. Clinical trials do not have the capability to generate information that allows to make decisions in some sectors of clinical care and public health, such as when an epidemic occurs. Therefore, medical science is based on observational studies, past practices and therapeutic tradition (1).
Observation of clinical data that have defined a clinical behavior precedes the clinical trial. The knowledge about scurvy, the fact that this pathology is considered a nutritional deficiency and its treatment with citrus fruits, originated thanks to the collection of clinical data on sailors, soldiers and prisoners of the British Crown in the 18th and 19th centuries (2).  This clinical information, which was collected uniformly and served to produce new knowledge, is what is now known as Real World Data (RWD). A modern definition of RWD would be one that talks about data obtained by any non-interventionist methodology that is collected prospectively and retrospectively from observations of routine clinical practice, and which comes from various sources including data from patients, doctors, hospitals, payers, social data, etc (3).
Reaction Mechanism of the Metal Precursor Pulse in Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Cobalt and the Role of Surface Facet
Authors: Liu Ji , lu hongliang , zhang david wei , Nolan Michael
Published: April 2020

Cobalt is a potential candidate in replacing copper for interconnects and has been applied in the trenches and vias in semiconductor industry. A non-oxidizing reactant is required in plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) of thin films of metals to avoid O-contamination. PE-ALD of Co has been demonstrated experimentally, but the growth mechanism and key reactions are not clear. In this paper, the reaction mechanism of metal cyclopentadienyl (Cp, C5H5) precursors (CoCp2) and NHx-terminated Co surface is studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The Cp ligands are eliminated by CpH formation via a hydrogen transfer step and desorb from metal surface. The surface facet plays an important role in the reaction energies and activation barriers. The results show that on the NHx-terminated surfaces corresponding to ALD operating condition (temperature range 550K to 650K), the two Cp ligands are eliminated completely on Co(100) surface during the metal precursor pulse, resulting in Co atom deposited on the Co(100) surface. But the second Cp ligand reaction of hydrogen transfer is thermodynamically unfavourable on the Co(001) surface, resulting in CoCp fragment termination on Co(001) surface. The final terminations after metal precursor pulse are 3.03 CoCp/nm2 on NHx-terminated Co(001) surface and 3.33 Co/nm2 on NHx-terminated Co(100) surface. These final structures after metal precursor pulse are essential to model the reaction during the following N-plasma step..
Pushing the Limits of Precious Metal Atom Economy for Three-Way-Catalysts (TWC): Thermally Stable and Highly Active Single Rh Atom Catalysts (Rh1/ceria) Under Both Dry and Industrially Relevant Conditions for NO Abatement
Authors: Khivantsev Konstantin , Vargas Carlos Garcia , Tian Jinshu , Kovarik Libor , Jaegers Nicholas R. , Szanyi János , Wang Yong
Published: April 2020

We show for the first time that single positively-charged Rh atoms on ceria, prepared via high-temperature atom trapping synthesis, are the highly active species for (CO+NO) reaction both under dry and wet, industrial conditions. This provides a direct link between organometallic homogeneous Rh(I) complexes capable of catalyzing dry (CO+NO) reaction and supported Rh single atoms, the latter being much more active than their homogeneous analogues. Decreasing the Rh loading from to 0.1 wt% leads to a catalyst with uniform Rh ions on the surface of ceria, which is very active (full NO conversion >120 ⁰C, TOF per Rh atom at 120 ⁰C ~ 330 hr-1) and thermodynamically stable. Under dry conditions, the main product above 100 ⁰C is N2 with N2O being the minor product. Water promotes low-temperature activity of 0.1 Rh/CeO2 starting 50 ⁰C with full NO conversion above 125 ⁰C in the wet stream. In this case, however, ammonia and nitrogen are the main products with only minor N2O amounts. NH3 formation at such relatively low temperatures is attractive because of the potential to use this as a passive SCR system. Because of the uniformity of Rh ions on the support, we are able to clarify the mechanistic aspects of this reaction. More specifically, we show that ammonia formation correlates with the WGS activity of the material and thus, rhodium hydride Rh-H species are believed to be involved in this reaction. These findings provide new mechanistic understanding for the catalytically active species in TWC catalysis and open up a new avenue for the synthesis of industrially relevant emissions control catalysts with 100% atom economy of ultra-expensive precious metals such as Rh.
Modern view on the issues of diagnosis and verification of axillary lymph nodes involvement in early breast cancer
Authors: Kolyadina Irina V. , Danzanova Tatiana Yu. , Khokhlova Svetlana V. , Trofimova Oksana P. , Kovaleva Ekaterina V. , Rodionov Valerii V. , Poddubnaya Irina V.
Published: April 2020

The involvement of axillary lymph nodes is one of the most important prognostic factors, significantly affecting the treatment strategy for early breast cancer (BC). The risk of axillary lymph node metastases depends directly on a number of factors (age of women, size of tumor, presence of lymphovascular invasion and biological characteristics of cancer). The evaluation of regional lymph node status in patients with early BC includes the clinical examination of regional zones and the ultrasound study (US), using these methods can help to study lymph nodes shape, borders, margins and structure. The sensitivity of ultrasound in the evaluation of regional lymph nodes status directly depends on the biological subtype of the tumor; the minimum level of ultrasound sensitivity in the evaluation of lymph nodes status is detected for luminal HER2-negative cancer (less than 40%), and maximum sensitivity is detected for triple negative and HER2-positive subtypes (6871%). Clinical examination and modern ultrasound are the most accessible methods for the evaluation of regional lymph nodes status, but the possibility to misjudge metastatic process can be detected in 1/4 of patients. Verification of the diagnosis in the preoperative phase (fine-needle aspiration biopsy/core-needle biopsy under ultrasound guidance) allows minimize the number of errors for the regional staging. The sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is the gold standard of regional treatment in patients with early stage BC, nowadays. The randomized trials (NSABP B-32, ACOSOG q0011) show the safety of recession of performing regional lymph node dissection in favor of SLNB not only in case of clinically negative lymph nodes, but also in patients with metastases in 2 sentinel lymph nodes, upon condition that organ-conservative treatment and subsequent radiation therapy will be used. High-quality regional staging, the choice of the therapeutic algorithm in accordance with the biological characteristics of carcinoma, the application of the most effective modern drug regimes, the optimal radiation therapy allow not only minimize the extent of surgery, but also achieve high long-term survival results, provide excellent functional results and high quality of life in patients with the involvement of axillary lymph nodes.
Surgical treatment of trophoblastic disease. Modern concept and contradictions (literature review)
Authors: Maslennikov Aleksandr F. , Meshcheriakova Liudmila A. , Kuznetsov Viktor V. , Kozachenko Vladimir P. , Komarov Igor G.
Published: April 2020

A review of studies on the comparison of the effectiveness of surgical treatment of malignant trophoblastic tumors before the start of standard chemotherapy and in terms of combination treatment is presented. According to Russian and foreign studies, surgical treatment is relevant for patients with primary or metastatic tumor resistance. The article presents the results of treatment of patients after various types of operations. The most common volume of surgery was a hysterectomy. The article also discusses the results of treatment of benign forms of trophoblastic disease. Surgical treatment of a malignant trophoblastic tumor before the start of standard chemotherapy was performed according to vital indications or in connection with a tumor determined by imaging methods. And the analysis carried out in Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology showed expected prognoses for patients who underwent surgical treatment prior to the start of standard chemotherapy regimens. Such patients were admitted to the clinic with a resistant or disseminated form of the tumor. During their treatment, high-dose chemotherapy or additional surgical interventions were required, which significantly worsened the prognosis of the disease. In the opposite case, when removing a localized resistant primary tumor or its metastasis, in the postoperative period, chemotherapy was not carried out in connection with marker remission.
The effect of local immunity on gastric cancer prognosis
Authors: Khakimova Gulnoz G. , Tryakin Alexey A. , Zabotina Tatyana N. , Borunova Anna A. , Malikhova Olga A. , Juraev Farruh M. , Peregorodiev Ivan N. , Zaharova Elena N. , Tabakov Dmitriy V.
Published: April 2020

Aim. To study the state of local immunity in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma.
Materials and methods. From 2017 to 2018, 45 previously untreated patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (25 with stage IIII, 20 with stage IV) received surgical/combined treatment or chemotherapy, respectively, at the Blokhin Scientific Research Center of Oncology. Tumor tissue was taken before treatment. By using flow cytometry there were evaluated the percentage of tumor tissue infiltration by lymphocytes (CD45+CD14-TIL); T cells (CD3+CD19-TIL); B cells (CD3-CD19+TIL); NK cell (CD3-CD16+CD56+TIL); effector cells CD16 (CD16+Perforin+TIL) and CD8 (CD8+Perforin+TIL) with their cytotoxic potential active CD16TIL and active CD8TIL; subpopulations of regulatory T cells NKT cells (CD3+CD16+CD56+TIL), regulatory cells CD4 (CD4+CD25+CD127-TIL) and CD8 (CD8+CD11b-CD28-TIL). The prognostic value of immune cells for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) was assessed.
Results. A favorable prognosis factor for progression-free survival in patients with local and locally advanced forms of gastric cancer was an increase in the number of CD3-CD19+TIL (HR 0.862, 95% CI 0.7820.957, p=0.005), and an unfavorable prognosis was an increase in NK cells (CD3-CD16+CD56+TIL); HR 1.382, 95% CI 1.0871.758, p=0.008. The negative effect of the relative content of NK cells (CD3-CD16+CD56+TIL) and NKT cells (CD3+CD16+CD56+TIL) on OS of patients with metastatic gastric cancer noted (HR 1.249, 95% CI 0.9971.564, p=0.053; HR 1.127, 95% CI 1.0251.239, p=0.013). At the same time, an increase in the percentage of tumor tissue infiltration by lymphocytes (CD45+CD14-TIL) and an increase in the age of patients (HR 1.005, 95% CI 1.0021.008, p=0.003; HR 1.098, 95% CI 1.0311.170, p=0.004) reduce the incidence of PFS in patients with metastatic gastric carcinoma.
Conclusion. Indices of local immunity can serve as additional prognostic factors for gastric carcinoma.