bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ex Vivo Human Skin: An Alternative Test System for Skin Irritation and Corrosion Assays
Authors: Eberlin Samara , Facchini Gustavo , da Silva Gustavo Henrique , Eberlin Samir , Bragatto Aline Rodrigues , Pinheiro Ana Lúcia Tabarini Alves , da Silva Pinheiro Adriano
Published: August 2021

Native human skin has been reported in the literature as being an important experimental model for studying skin biology. Studies performed by our group have shown that ex vivo skin, from elective plastic surgery, maintains the biological characteristics of native skin under specific culture conditions. As such, it might be a feasible model for the safety and efficacy testing of topical substances. While Brazil is at the forefront of global regulation implementation, Brazilian researchers are not always able to transfer certain widely used protocols to their laboratories, particularly protocols that involve the use of reconstructed tissues with limited viability, such as those for skin corrosion (OECD TG 431) and irritation testing (OECD TG 439). In this study, we investigated the applicability of the ex vivo skin model to the evaluation of irritation and corrosion potential of a number of proficiency substances described in TG 431 and TG 439. The skin fragments were standardised in size and diameter, and placed into cell culture inserts. The experimental protocol was conducted according to TG 431 and TG 439. The results obtained show that ex vivo skin could represent a promising tool for the evaluation of irritation and corrosion potential of substances (subject to inclusion and exclusion criteria), as recommended by OECD guidelines. While this is a proof-of-concept study, the use of ex vivo skin should be considered for such testing.
Which Anxiety Symptoms are Associated with Perceived Ethnic Discrimination in Adolescents With an Immigrant Background?
Authors: St-Pierre Sophie , Tardif-Grenier Kristel , Villatte Aude
Published: August 2021

This study assesses the specific anxiety symptoms that are present in the context of perceived ethnic discrimination in 696 (M age = 13.3, σ = .77, 57% girls) seventh and eighth-grade students with immigrant backgrounds from four different Canadian high schools. Multiple hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to determine the association between perceived ethnic discrimination and specific anxiety symptoms. Results demonstrate that perceived ethnic discrimination is significantly associated with more anxiety symptoms, such as panic/somatic, generalized anxiety, social phobia, and school phobia. Findings provide a better understanding of the association between perceived ethnic discrimination and anxiety symptoms reported by adolescents with an immigrant background. These findings could help school-based mental health professionals in the implementation of prevention and intervention measures aimed at reducing specific anxiety symptoms that are often present in the context of perceived ethnic discrimination.
The Role of an Advocate in Innovating the Adaptive Apparel Market: A Case Study
Authors: McBee-Black Kerri
Published: August 2021

The apparel global supply chain is fragmented and globalized, making it challenging to satisfy consumers’ wants and needs. Thus, to satisfy the consumer's wants and needs, global supply chain management is critical to a brand's success in the marketplace. The goal of this study was to gain an in-depth, holistic, and contextualized understanding of the experience and knowledge Mindy Scheier, an adaptive apparel advocate, gained by managing and negotiating the existing supply chain functions during her collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger® to launch the first mainstream children's adaptive apparel line. To achieve this goal, a case study was deployed. The authors found that supply chain networks required unique adaptations to their existing manufacturing processes to ensure the adaptive design innovations were viable; however, those supply chain adaptations were not significant. Further, the authors found that a collaborative partnership with an advocate seemingly provided a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Divergent Gender Revolutions: Cohort Changes in Household Financial Management across Income Gradients
Authors: Hu Yang
Published: August 2021

The ways in which partners manage their money provide important clues to gender inequality in and the nature of couple relationships. Analyzing data from nationally representative surveys ( N = 11,730 couples), I examine changes across British cohorts born between the 1920s and 1990s in their household financial management, and how the changes vary across individuals and couples occupying differential income positions. The results show divergent, nuanced cohort trends toward gender equality in couples’ money management. Across successive cohorts of low-earning women, there has been a subtle relaxation in the form of male control, reflected in a decrease in the proportion of men adopting “back-seat” management by retaining the majority of the couple’s money while delegating the chore of managing daily expenses to their partners. By contrast, the empowerment of high-earning women is reflected primarily in an individualization of financial management, evident in a cohort decrease in joint financial management and an increase in independent management. The trend of individualization is particularly prominent among couples in which both partners have equally high earnings. The findings provide new insights into and important extensions of the theorization of gender relations in and the individualization of couple relationships.
“Women’s Work”: Welfare State Spending and the Gendered and Classed Dimensions of Unpaid Care
Authors: Lightman Naomi , Kevins Anthony
Published: August 2021

This study is the first to explicitly assess the connections between welfare state spending and the gendered and classed dimensions of unpaid care work across 29 European nations. Our research uses multi-level model analysis of European Quality of Life Survey data, examining childcare and housework burdens for people living with at least one child under the age of 18. Two key findings emerge: First, by disaggregating different types of unpaid care work, we find that childcare provision is more gendered than classed—reflecting trends toward “intensive mothering”. Housework and cooking, on the contrary, demonstrate both gender and class effects, likely because they are more readily outsourced by wealthier individuals to the paid care sector. Second, while overall social expenditure has no effect on hours spent on childcare and housework, results suggest that family policy may shape the relationship between gender, income, and housework (but not childcare). Specifically, family policy expenditure is associated with a considerably smaller gender gap vis-à-vis the time dedicated to housework: This effect is present across the income spectrum, but is particularly substantial in the case of lower income women.
Electroconvulsive Therapy in Elderly Patients With Cerebral Aneurysms: A Systematic Review With Clinical Recommendations
Authors: Mehdi Syed Muhammad Ahsan , Devanand D. P.
Published: August 2021

Introduction:

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is commonly used in the elderly due to its proven efficacy and safety profile. However, presence of cardiovascular comorbidities such as cerebral aneurysms may complicate the course of treatment. Our knowledge about the possible risk factors and precautionary measures remains limited.

Methods:

We performed a systematic review of published case reports of elderly patients with cerebral aneurysms treated with ECT.

Results:

A total of 11 cases were included for the review. One patient died because of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) secondary to ictal hypertensive surge during treatment with ECT.

Discussion:

Risk factors such as history of hypertension, age of the patient, extent of the ictal surge in blood pressure, efficacy of prophylactic treatment to control surge in blood pressure and characteristics of cerebral aneurysm each elevated the risk of complication in these cases. We reviewed safety measures based on the evidence from the current literature available.

Conclusion:

ECT is safe in elderly patients with cerebral aneurysms provided appropriate safety measures are employed. Screening for cerebral aneurysms in high risk patients, effective prevention and management of blood pressure elevation acutely during ECT is the best practice to avoid adverse outcomes.
Visualizing science: The impact of infographics on free recall, elaboration, and attitude change for genetically modified foods news
Authors: Lee Namyeon , Lee Sungkyoung
Published: August 2021

Within the theoretical frameworks of the dual coding theory, this study examined how the implementation of infographics would influence audiences’ cognitive responses to science news reporting topics of genetically modified food and bioengineering. A total of 280 participants were randomly assigned to view news articles that report genetically modified food information presented via infographics or text. Findings showed that the participants recalled more information, elaborated more message-relevant thoughts, and had more favorable attitude changes toward the genetically modified foods when science news content is presented in infographics compared with text. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed herein.
Time will tell: Defining violence in terrorism court cases
Authors: Anwar Tasniem
Published: August 2021

Calculating the potential risk of future terrorist violence is at the core of counter-terrorism practices. Particularly in court cases, this potential risk serves as legitimization for the preemptive criminalization of suspicious (financial) behaviour. This article argues that the preemptive temporality seen in such court cases is a practice of ‘sorting time’ and producing distinct legal definitions around future violence. Building on postcolonial and feminist scholarship on temporality, the article examines preemptive temporality as the material, embodied and multiple engagements with time that are enacted in terrorism court cases. Through the use of empirical data obtained from court observations, court judgements and interviews with legal practitioners, accounts of empirical temporalities are traced to illuminate other forms of violence that until now have been overshadowed by the dominant (and relatively unchallenged) perception of future terrorist threats that is enacted in the courtroom. In this way, the article makes two important contributions. First, it advances the theoretical debate on preemptive security through an examination of how legal and security practices co-produce temporality by defining future terrorist violence. Second, it contributes empirically by showing how temporality is constructed in multiple ways, paying specific attention to temporalities resisting dominating perceptions of future terrorist violence.
Rethinking digital labour: A renewed critique moving beyond the exploitation paradigm
Authors: Xia Bingqing
Published: August 2021

A number of important topics, themes and concepts frequently recur in studies of digital labour over the past decade, such as exploitation, precarity, unpaid labour, gig economy and platform labour. The first generation of the critique has drawn on a variety of Marxist, post-structuralist and Weberian sources to question prevailing neo-liberal and centrist models centred on values of efficiency and the supposed empowerment of workers and users. While these topics, themes and concepts have been beneficial in establishing a basis for critique, there is a danger that they may become rather familiar and potentially even a little stale. Therefore, this article suggests a need to renew the critique of digital labour, as the digital realm stabilises around a set of key global players and platforms and as labour activists continue to face serious obstacles to success in an era of authoritarian populism. Here, I concentrate on introducing our themed collection surrounding a renewed critique moving beyond a dichotomy of exploitation and labour agency. I also encourage different disciplines to enrich and renew studies of digital labour.
Three-Dimensional Analysis of Definitive Secondary Unilateral Cleft Rhinoplasty Using Cartilage Graft
Authors: Hantawornchaikit Thinnapat , Arayasantiparb Raweewan , KC Kumar , Boonsiriseth Kiatanant
Published: August 2021

Objective

Three-dimensional assessment of nasal morphology in patients with unilateral cleft lip nose treated by cartilage graft augmentation.

Design

Retrospective study.

Patients and Intervention

Thirteen patients with unilateral cleft lip nose underwent definitive secondary rhinoplasty and postsurgical changes were examined using a three-dimensional (3D) laser scan.

Main Outcome Measure

Nasal dorsum length, nasal tip, alar width, and alar base width in frontal view; nasion depth, nasal tip projection, nasal dorsal angle, and nasal tip angle in lateral view; nostril width, nostril height, and nasal tip height in basal view were measured at preoperative (T1: within 6 months), short follow-up (T2: 2-10 weeks), and long follow-up (T3: 9-14 months).

Results

A significant change in alar width, alar base width, nostril width, and nostril height at the cleft side, nasal dorsum length, nasion depth, nasal tip projection, and nasal tip height was observed from T1 to T3 follow-up after rhinoplasty ( P < .05), whereas the nostril height at the noncleft side was also significantly increased at T2 follow-up but the mean change in height relapsed at T3 follow-up. Alar width, alar base width, and nostril width at the noncleft side, and nasal tip angle did not change significantly after surgery at any follow-up period.

Conclusions

3D imaging evaluation after secondary cleft rhinoplasty demonstrated improved functional and aesthetic outcomes using a septal or conchal graft.
Research developments in adaptive intelligent vibration control of smart civil structures
Authors: Saeed Muhammad Usman , Sun Zuoyu , Elias Said
Published: August 2021

Control algorithms are the most critical aspects in the successful control of civil structures subjected to earthquake and wind forces. In recent years, adaptive intelligent control algorithms are emerging as an acceptable substitute method to conventional model-based control algorithms. These algorithms mainly work on the principles of artificial intelligence (AI) and soft computing (SC) methods that make them highly efficient in controlling highly nonlinear, time-varying, and time-delayed complex civil structures. The current research probes to control algorithms, that this article set forth an inclusive state-of-the-art review of adaptive intelligent control (AIC) algorithms for vibration control of smart civil structures. First, a general introduction to adaptive intelligent control is presented along with its advantages over conventional control algorithms. Second, their classification concerning artificial intelligence and soft computing methods is provided that mainly consists of artificial neural network-based controller, brain emotional learning-based intelligent controller, replicator dynamics-based controller, multi-agent system-based controller, support vector machine-based controller, fuzzy logic control, adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system-based controller, adaptive filters-base controller, and meta-heuristic algorithms-based hybrid controllers. Third, a brief review of these algorithms with their developments on the theory and applications is provided. Fourth, we demonstrate a summarized overview of the cited literature with a brief trend analysis is presented. Finally, this study presents an overview of these innovative AIC methods that can demonstrate future directions. The contribution of this article is the anticipation of detailed and in-depth discussion into the perspective of AI and SC-based AIC method advances that enabled practical applications in attenuating vibration response of smart civil structures. Moreover, the review demonstrates the computing advantages of AIC over conventional controllers that are important in creating the next generation of smart civil structures.
Robust trajectory tracking control for unmanned surface vessels under motion constraints and environmental disturbances
Authors: Zhang Ruo , Liu Yuanchang , Anderlini Enrico
Published: August 2021

To achieve a fully autonomous navigation for unmanned surface vessels (USVs), a robust control capability is essential. The control of USVs in complex maritime environments is rather challenging as numerous system uncertainties and environmental influences affect the control performance. This paper therefore investigates the trajectory tracking control problem for USVs with motion constraints and environmental disturbances. Two different controllers are proposed to achieve the task. The first approach is mainly based on the backstepping technique augmented by a virtual system to compensate for the disturbance and an auxiliary system to bound the input in the saturation limit. The second control scheme is mainly based on the normalisation technique, with which the bound of the input can be limited in the constraints by tuning the control parameters. The stability of the two control schemes is demonstrated by the Lyapunov theory. Finally, simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controllers. The introduced solutions enable USVs to follow complex trajectories in an adverse environment with varying ocean currents.
Preference for Fasciocutaneous Flap Over Musculocutaneous Flap as a First-Line Option for Ischial Pressure Wound Reconstruction: A Review of 64 Cases
Authors: Choi Jaehoon , Kim Kyubeom , Kim Junhyung , Jeong Woonhyeok , Jo Taehee , Park Sang Woo
Published: August 2021

The ischial pressure wound usually comprises a large, extensive defect and involves the repair of more than a small opening. Most surgeons have used a musculocutaneous flap to fill the large dead space of an ischial pressure wound. However, sacrificing muscle tissue has a potential risk of postoperative bleeding. The transferred muscle ultimately loses function as a cushion to absorb pressure. Conservation of muscle structures may be beneficial for use in future recurrence, which is common with ischial pressure wound. We compared the difference in outcome between musculocutaneous and fasciocutaneous flaps and analyzed factors affecting complications with the flaps in ischial pressure wound reconstruction. This study reviewed the results of 64 flaps in 44 patients with ischial wounds. The wounds were reconstructed with 34 musculocutaneous flaps (53%) and 30 fasciocutaneous flaps (47%). Twenty-three cases (36%) had complete healing, and 41 (64%) had complications. There was no significant difference in outcomes between fasciocutaneous and musculocutaneous flap groups. Crude logistic regression analysis showed no significant risk factors for occurrence of major complications. When fasciocutaneous flaps were used, the neighboring perforators and muscle tissues could be conserved. With a perforator-based fasciocutaneous flap, a de-epithelized distal portion of the flap could be used to fill the dead space. Therefore, the fasciocutaneous flap may have priority over the musculocutaneous flap as a first-line option for ischial pressure wound reconstruction.
Which Facial Features Are Central in Impression Formation?
Authors: Jaeger Bastian , Jones Alex L.
Published: August 2021

Which facial characteristics do people rely on when forming personality impressions? Previous research has uncovered an array of facial features that influence people’s impressions. Even though some (classes of) features, such as resemblances to emotional expressions or facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), play a central role in theories of social perception, their relative importance in impression formation remains unclear. Here, we model faces along a wide range of theoretically important dimensions and use machine learning techniques to test how well 28 features predict impressions of trustworthiness and dominance in a diverse set of 597 faces. In line with overgeneralization theory, emotion resemblances were most predictive of both traits. Other features that have received a lot of attention in the literature, such as fWHR, were relatively uninformative. Our results highlight the importance of modeling faces along a wide range of dimensions to elucidate their relative importance in impression formation.
Inpatient glycemic control and outcome of COVID-19 patients: A retrospective cohort
Authors: Lesniak Christopher , Ong Raquel , Akula Monika S , Douedi Steven , Akoluk Arda , Soomro Rabail , Copca-Alvarez Albino , Purewal Tiffany , Patel Ishan , Upadhyaya Vandan , Cheng Jennifer , Jain Ashali , Asif Arif , Chalasani Krishna , Hossain Mohammad A
Published: August 2021

Objectives:

Although there have been associations between diabetes and mortality in COVID-19 patients, it is unclear whether this is driven by the disease itself or whether it can be attributed to an inability to exhibit effective glucose control.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 292 patients admitted to a tertiary referral center to assess the association of mortality and glycemic control among COVID-19-positive patients. We used a logistic regression model to determine whether average fasting glycemic levels were associated with in-hospital mortality.

Results:

Among the diabetic and non-diabetic patients, there were no differences between mortality or length of stay. Mean glucose levels in the first 10 days of admission were higher on average among those who died (150–185 mg/dL) compared with those who survived (125–165 mg/dL). When controlling for multiple variables, there was a significant association between mean fasting glucose and mortality (odds ratio = 1.014, p < 0.001). The associations between glucose and mortality remained when controlled for comorbidities and glucocorticoid use.

Conclusion:

The results of this retrospective study show an association between mortality and inpatient glucose levels, suggesting that there may be some benefit to tighter glucose control in patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
Improvement of granulomatous skin conditions with tofacitinib in three patients: A case report
Authors: McPhie Meghan L , Swales William C , Gooderham Melinda J
Published: August 2021

Granulomatous skin conditions are poorly understood inflammatory skin diseases consisting predominantly of macrophages. Granuloma annulare (GA) is the most common granulomatous skin disease and the generalized variant is particularly difficult to treat due to the prolonged course and lack of efficacious treatment options. Necrobiosis lipoidica (NL) is another granulomatous disorder of uncertain etiology. There is a growing body of evidence for the use of Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors in the management of inflammatory skin diseases. In our report, we describe three patients with recalcitrant granulomatous disease including NL and generalized GA who responded favourably to treatment with the JAK inhibitor tofacitinib. JAK inhibitors may be a beneficial therapeutic option for patients with granulomatous skin diseases that are unresponsive to conventional therapies. Further research is required to determine the long-term efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in treating granulomatous skin conditions.
“The revolution will not be supervised”: Consent and open secrets in data science
Authors: Carrigan Coleen , Green Madison W , Rahman-Davies Abibat
Published: August 2021

The social impacts of computer technology are often glorified in public discourse, but there is growing concern about its actual effects on society. In this article, we ask: how does “consent” as an analytical framework make visible the social dynamics and power relations in the capture, extraction, and labor of data science knowledge production? We hypothesize that a form of boundary violation in data science workplaces—gender harassment—may correlate with the ways humans’ lived experiences are extracted to produce Big Data. The concept of consent offers a useful way to draw comparisons between gender relations in data science and the means by which machines are trained to learn and reason. Inspired by how Big Tech leaders describe unsupervised machine learning, and the co-optation of “revolutionary” rhetoric they use to do so, we introduce a concept we call “techniques of invisibility.” Techniques of invisibility are the ways in which an extreme imbalance between exposure and opacity, demarcated along fault lines of power, are fabricated and maintained, closing down the possibility for bidirectional transparency in the production and applications of algorithms. Further, techniques of invisibility, which we group into two categories—epistemic injustice and the Brotherhood—include acts of subjection by powerful actors in data science designed to quell resistance to exploitative relations. These techniques may be useful in making further connections between epistemic violence, sexism, and surveillance, sussing out persistent boundary violations in data science to render the social in data science visible, and open to scrutiny and debate.
Exploring the issue of asymmetry in analysing educational poverty using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA)
Authors: Glaesser Judith
Published: August 2021

This article discusses the issue of conceptual asymmetry and associated analytical challenges, with the concept of educational poverty serving as an empirical example. The notion of educational poverty has been introduced by Allmendinger to describe, analogously to material poverty, a severe shortage or complete lack of educational qualifications. Poverty may be considered to be the opposite of wealth, but absence of poverty is not so obviously the same thing as wealth – in fact, it almost certainly is not. Neither is absence of wealth the same thing as poverty. However, both poverty and wealth are measured using the same raw measure, monetary resources in the case of material poverty or wealth and educational certificates in the case of educational poverty or wealth. This asymmetry and related issues lead to interesting conceptual and methodological challenges in analysing factors contributing to the twin outcomes of educational poverty and wealth, as well as the absence of each. These conceptual or methodological challenges are the focus of this article. Given that both poverty and wealth are experienced by only a minority of individuals, the article also addresses the question of whether explaining relatively rare events requires a different approach than explaining more commonly occurring events or outcomes. The analysis of asymmetry requires the use of a method which is able to distinguish between the presence of an outcome and its absence. This capability is one of the features of Qualitative Comparative Analysis, making it an eminently suitable method for this issue. The empirical example draws on the German National Educational Panel Study. The analyses focus on the four outcomes of educational poverty and its absence and educational wealth and its absence, demonstrating that different pathways are associated with each.
Unstable Bony Chance Fracture Successfully Treated With Teriparatide in Patient With Ankylosed Spine: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Park Hyung-Youl , Ha Kee-Yong , Kim Ki-Won , Rhyu Kee-Won , Kim Young-Hoon , Lee Jun-Seok , Kim Sang-Il , Park Soo-Bin
Published: August 2021

Background: Ankylosed spines with ankylosing spondylitis or diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) are prone to fractures due to osteoporosis and fracture instability from long lever arm. In such cases, surgical management is the main treatment option. Case presentation: We report a first case of successful treatment of unstable bony Chance fracture at thoracolumbar junction in DISH patient using teriparatide and review previous literature on ankylosed spine fractures treated with teriparatide. An 82-year-old male patient presented with back pain after falling from a 3 m height 3 months ago. Imaging studies showed L1 unstable flexion-distraction injury (bony Chance fracture) and intravertebral vacuum cleft in ankylosed spine due to DISH. Conservative treatment, teriparatide and orthosis, was determined as the most appropriate approach because the patient declined surgery and presented with tolerable mechanical back pain without any neurologic deficits. Solid bony union was successfully achieved without any complications after 1-year treatment. Conclusion: Although surgical management is strongly recommended for unstable fracture in ankylosed spine, non-surgical treatment including teriparatide and orthosis might be safer and effective options in bony Chance fracture without neurologic deficits and intractable mechanical pain.
Effects of Business and Finance Conditions on Tourism Firms’ Financial Performances: Evidence From Major Tourist Destinations
Authors: Irani Farid , Katircioglu Salih , Gokmenoglu Korhan K.
Published: August 2021

This study examines the effects of business and finance conditions on the stock performances of firms operating in the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industries. This research employs panel-based first- and second-generation estimators, such as Westerlund cointegration, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel Granger causality tests, to explore long-term links between business conditions, financial development, and tourism growth in major tourist destination countries selected in this study. To our knowledge, this is the first study to attempt to explore this linkage. The long-run estimation underscores that business and finance environments are significant drivers of stock price movements in this industry. Therefore, any shock in business and finance activities will have long-term effects on tourism firms’ stock prices. Moreover, the results show that the most significant factor that explains changes in the tourism stock price is foreign tourist arrivals, indicating that the tourism stock price of major tourist countries is relatively more sensitive to changes in tourist arrivals to the country than other factors. This study proposes a new research question to estimate the effects of the business, financial conditions, and tourism growth on the stock performance of the tourism, hospitality, and leisure industries. Therefore, the results are likely to become vital for policymakers, managers, and asset pricing analysts.
Comparison of Endoscopic Discectomy Versus Non-Endoscopic Discectomy for Symptomatic Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Li Wei-Shang , Yan Qi , Cong Lin
Published: August 2021

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Objective:

The authors aimed to systematically compare the effectiveness and safety of endoscopic discectomy (ED) with non-endoscopic discectomy (NED) for treatment of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation (LDH).

Methods:

A systematic search was performed on PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure for randomized controlled trial from inception until August 13, 2020. Trials which investigated multiple operative approaches on lumbar disc herniation were identified without language restrictions.

Results:

In total, 25 trials involving 2258 patients with symptomatic LDH were included. Twenty trials performed the comparison between ED and NED. Five trials performed the comparison between percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy (PETD) and percutaneous endoscopic interlaminar discectomy (PEID). The operative time of micro-endoscopic discectomy (MED) was longer than open discectomy (OD). The length of hospital stay of percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD) was shorter than fenestration discectomy (FD). Significant differences in intraoperative blood loss volumes were found between PELD with FD and MED with OD. The complication rate of PELD was lower than FD (PELD: 4.3%; FD: 14.6%) and the complication rate of full-endoscopic discectomy (FE) was lower than microscopic discectomy (MD) (FE: 13.4%; MD: 32.1%).

Conclusions:

PELD and FE have the advantage of limiting intraoperative damages. ED and NED can be both considered sufficient to achieve good clinical outcomes. PETD and PEID are able to achieve similar results but the learning curve of PETD was steeper. More independent high-quality RCTs with sufficiently large sample sizes performing cost-effectiveness analyzes are needed.
AO Spine Adult Spinal Deformity Patient Profile: A Paradigm Shift in Comprehensive Patient Evaluation in Order to Optimize Treatment and Improve Patient Care
Authors: Naresh-Babu J , Kwan Kenny Yat Hong , Wu Yabin , Yilgor Caglar , Alanay Ahmet , Cheung Kenneth M. C. , Polly David W. , Park Jong-Beom , Ito Manabu , Lenke Lawrence G. , van Hooff Miranda L. , Kleuver Marinus de ,   AO Spine Knowledge Forum Deformity
Published: August 2021

Study Design:

Modified Delphi study.

Objective:

Adult spinal deformity (ASD) is an increasingly recognized condition, comprising a spectrum of pathologies considerably impacting patients’ health and functional status. Patients present with a combination of pain, disability, comorbidities and radiological deformity. The study aims to propose a systematic approach of gathering information on the factors that drive decision-making by developing a patient profile.

Methods:

The present study comprises of 3 parts. Part 1: Development of prototype of patient profile: The data from the Core Outcome Study on SCOlisis (COSSCO) by Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) was categorized into a conceptual framework. Part 2: Modified Delphi study: Items reaching >70% agreement were included in a 4 round iterative process with 51 panellists across the globe. Part 3: Pilot testing—feasibility: Content validity and usability were evaluated quantitatively.

Results:

The profile consisted of 4 domains. 1. General health with demographics and comorbidities, 2.Spine-specific health with spine related health and neurological status, 3. Imaging with radiographic and MRI parameters and 4. Deformity type. Each domain consisted of 1 or 2 components with various factors and their measuring instruments. Profile was found to have an excellent content validity (I-CVIr 0.78-1.00; Ave-CVI 0.92) appropriateness, relevance and usefulness.

Conclusions:

The present study, is first to provide a universally applicable multimodal ASD patient profile to methodically describe patients. Physicians are encouraged to assess ASD patients holistically using this profile and not just based on radiographic findings.
Assessing Local “Diversity”: A Nationally Representative Analysis
Authors: Rajasekar Neeraj , Stewart Evan , Gerteis Joseph
Published: August 2021

The meanings and definition of “diversity” can change across different applications and contexts, but many such meanings have implications for racial difference and racial ideology in the United States. We provide a nationally representative analysis of how everyday Americans assess “diversity” in their own communities. We test how county-level racial, religious, economic, and political heterogeneity predict the view that one lives in a highly diverse locale; we also test how individual-level factors predict such a view. Among the four indicators of local difference, racial difference is most strongly and consistently associated with Americans’ assessments of local diversity. Individual-level factors do not weaken this relationship; rather, local context and individual-level factors conjointly predict assessments of local diversity. Despite the flexible, hyperinclusive nature of diversity discourse, local racial difference is salient in Americans’ assessments of “diversity” in their communities, and this pattern is not simply a product of individual-level factors. Our findings illustrate another dimension of the flexible-yet-racialized nature of diversity discourse in the United States. We also show that Americans are particularly aware of racial difference in their locale, which has implications for social and ideological responses to changing communities and a changing nation.
Fever in the Returned Pediatric Traveler
Authors: Abdel-Haq Nahed , Asmar Basim I.
Published: August 2021

Global mobility has been steadily increasing in recent years. The assessment of the febrile child returning from international travel is a diagnostic challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected international travel and made evaluation and management of the sick returned traveler more challenging. Children visiting friends and relatives abroad remain at higher risk of infection compared to tourists. This review presents a guidance on the initial assessment of a traveling febrile child including interpretation of medical history, physical examination, and laboratory findings. Important clues to etiology include exposure to different infectious agents, incubation periods of pathogens, and prophylaxis regimens and vaccines received. Early identification of potentially life-threatening and highly contagious infections is essential. In this article, we discuss the epidemiology, evaluation, and management of specific travel related infections such as malaria, typhoid fever, dengue fever, viral hemorrhagic fever, rickettsiosis, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, gastrointestinal, and respiratory infections.
The politics of evaporation and the making of atmospheric territory in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin
Authors: Jackson Sue , Head Lesley
Published: August 2021

Scholarship on the hydrosocial cycle has tended to overlook the atmospheric phase of the cycle. This paper identifies and conceptualises a politics of evaporation in Australia’s Murray-Darling Basin. Evaporation is not a neutral hydrological concept to be understood, measured or acted on without an appreciation of the networks in which it originates, the geo-political circumstances that continue to shape its circulation, and its socio-spatial effects. The politics of evaporation is conceptualised here as a process of hydrosocial territorialisation in which atmospheric water came to be known as a force acting within a balanced hydrologic cycle, and ‘atmospheric territory’ was created. The scientific origins of evaporation show (i) how modernist hydrologic technologies and conventions that relied on containment and territorialisation to account for and control water led to the negative depiction of evaporation as a loss, and (ii) the historical depth of processes of abstraction and commensuration that are so influential in today’s regimes of water accounting and marketisation. The politics of evaporation is identified empirically in the controversy surrounding the management of the Menindee Lakes and the lower Darling River in New South Wales, where efforts to ‘save’ water according to the logic of efficiency have enrolled atmospheric water into a Basin-wide program to redistribute surface water. The lens of evaporation theorises a neglected aspect of the materiality of water that is particularly important to the dry, hot parts of the world. It challenges us to rethink the ‘cycle’ as well as the ‘hydro’, while providing further evidence of the value of thinking about territory in a material register as volumetric and not areal.
Rapid sequence intubation: a survey of current practice in the South African pre-hospital setting
Authors: Botha Johanna Catharina , Lourens Andrit , Stassen Willem
Published: August 2021

Background

Rapid sequence intubation (RSI) is an advanced airway skill commonly performed in the pre-hospital setting globally. In South Africa, pre-hospital RSI was first approved for non-physician providers by the Health Professions Council of South Africa in 2009 and introduced as part of the scope of practice of degree qualified Emergency Care Practitioners (ECPs) only. The research study aimed to investigate and describe, based on the components of the minimum standards of pre-hospital RSI in South Africa, specific areas of interest related to current pre-hospital RSI practice.

Methods

An online descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted amongst operational ECPs in the pre-hospital setting of South Africa, using convenience and snowball sampling strategies.

Results

A total of 87 participants agreed to partake. Eleven (12.6%) incomplete survey responses were excluded while 76 (87.4%) were included in the data analysis. The survey response rate could not be calculated. Most participants were operational in Gauteng (n = 27, 35.5%) and the Western Cape (n = 25, 32.9%). Overall participants reported that their education and training were perceived as being of good quality. The majority of participants (n = 69, 90.8%) did not participate in an internship programme before commencing duties as an independent practitioner. Most RSI and post-intubation equipment were reported to be available; however, our results found that introducer stylets and/or bougies and end-tidal carbon dioxide devices are not available to some participants. Only 50 (65.8%) participants reported the existence of a clinical governance system within their organisation. Furthermore, our results indicate a lack of clinical feedback, deficiency of an RSI database, infrequent clinical review meetings and a shortage of formal consultation frameworks.

Conclusion

The practice of safe and effective pre-hospital RSI, performed by non-physician providers or ECPs, relies on comprehensive implementation and adherence to all the components of the minimum standards. Although there is largely an apparent alignment with the minimum standards, recurrent revision of practice needs to occur to ensure alignment with recommendations. Additionally, some areas may benefit from further research to improve current practice.
Immunopeptidomics toolkit library (IPTK): a python-based modular toolbox for analyzing immunopeptidomics data
Authors: ElAbd Hesham , Degenhardt Frauke , Koudelka Tomas , Kamps Ann-Kristin , Tholey Andreas , Bacher Petra , Lenz Tobias L. , Franke Andre , Wendorff Mareike
Published: August 2021

Background

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) proteins play a fundamental role in the adaptive immune system as they present peptides to T cells. Mass-spectrometry-based immunopeptidomics is a promising and powerful tool for characterizing the immunopeptidomic landscape of HLA proteins, that is the peptides presented on HLA proteins. Despite the growing interest in the technology, and the recent rise of immunopeptidomics-specific identification pipelines, there is still a gap in data-analysis and software tools that are specialized in analyzing and visualizing immunopeptidomics data.

Results

We present the IPTK library which is an open-source Python-based library for analyzing, visualizing, comparing, and integrating different omics layers with the identified peptides for an in-depth characterization of the immunopeptidome. Using different datasets, we illustrate the ability of the library to enrich the result of the identified peptidomes. Also, we demonstrate the utility of the library in developing other software and tools by developing an easy-to-use dashboard that can be used for the interactive analysis of the results.

Conclusion

IPTK provides a modular and extendable framework for analyzing and integrating immunopeptidomes with different omics layers. The library is deployed intoPyPIathttps://pypi.org/project/IPTKL/and intoBiocondaathttps://anaconda.org/bioconda/iptkl, while the source code of the library and the dashboard, along with the online tutorials are available athttps://github.com/ikmb/iptoolkit.
CHIPIN: ChIP-seq inter-sample normalization based on signal invariance across transcriptionally constant genes
Authors: Polit Lélia , Kerdivel Gwenneg , Gregoricchio Sebastian , Esposito Michela , Guillouf Christel , Boeva Valentina
Published: August 2021

Background

Multiple studies rely on ChIP-seq experiments to assess the effect of gene modulation and drug treatments on protein binding and chromatin structure. However, most methods commonly used for the normalization of ChIP-seq binding intensity signals across conditions, e.g., the normalization to the same number of reads, either assume a constant signal-to-noise ratio across conditions or base the estimates of correction factors on genomic regions with intrinsically different signals between conditions. Inaccurate normalization of ChIP-seq signal may, in turn, lead to erroneous biological conclusions.

Results

We developed a new R package, CHIPIN, that allows normalizing ChIP-seq signals across different conditions/samples when spike-in information is not available, but gene expression data are at hand. Our normalization technique is based on the assumption that, on average, no differences in ChIP-seq signals should be observed in the regulatory regions of genes whose expression levels are constant across samples/conditions. In addition to normalizing ChIP-seq signals, CHIPIN provides as output a number of graphs and calculates statistics allowing the user to assess the efficiency of the normalization and qualify the specificity of the antibody used. In addition to ChIP-seq, CHIPIN can be used without restriction on open chromatin ATAC-seq or DNase hypersensitivity data. We validated the CHIPIN method on several ChIP-seq data sets and documented its superior performance in comparison to several commonly used normalization techniques.

Conclusions

The CHIPIN method provides a new way for ChIP-seq signal normalization across conditions when spike-in experiments are not available. The method is implemented in a user-friendly R package available on GitHub: https://github.com/BoevaLab/CHIPIN
Dysregulated long noncoding RNAs in the brainstem of the DBA/1 mouse model of SUDEP
Authors: Chen Deng , Zhu Lina , Lin Xin , Zhou Dong , Liu Ling
Published: August 2021

Background

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play an important role in many neurological diseases. This study aimed to investigate differentially expressed lncRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in the susceptibility gaining process of primed DBA/1 mice, a sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) model, to illustrate the potential role of lncRNAs in SUDEP.

Methods

The Arraystar mouse lncRNA Microarray V3.0 (Arraystar, Rockville, MD) was applied to identify the aberrantly expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs between primed DBA/1 mice and normal controls. The differences were verified by qRT-PCR. We conducted gene ontology (GO), the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway and coexpression analyses to explore the possible function of the dysregulated RNAs.

Results

A total of 502 lncRNAs (126 upregulated and 376 downregulated lncRNAs) and 263 mRNAs (141 upregulated and 122 downregulated mRNAs) were dysregulated with P < 0.05 and a fold change over 1.5, among which Adora3 and Gstt4 were possibly related to SUDEP. GO analysis revealed that chaperone cofactor-dependent protein refolding and misfolded protein binding were among the top ten downregulated terms, which pointed to Hspa1a, Hspa2a and their related lncRNAs. KEGG analysis identified 28 upregulated and 10 downregulated pathways. Coexpression analysis showed fifteen dysregulated long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) and three aberrantly expressed antisense lncRNAs, of which AK012034 and NR_040757 are potentially related to SUDEP by regulating LMNB2 and ITPR1, respectively.

Conclusions

LncRNAs and their coexpression mRNAs are dysregulated in the priming process of DBA/1 in the brainstem. Some of these mRNAs and lncRNAs may be related to SUDEP, including Adora3, Lmnb2, Hspa1a, Hspa1b, Itrp1, Gstt4 and their related lncRNAs. Further study on the mechanism of lncRNAs in SUDEP is needed.