bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intra-socket application of medical-grade honey after tooth extraction attenuates inflammation and promotes healing in cats
Authors: Pleeging Carlos CF , de Rooster Hilde , Van Wijk Bas , Wagener Frank ADTG , Cremers Niels AJ
Published: October 2022

Objectives

Dental diseases are a major problem in cats and often necessitate tooth extraction. Medical-grade honey (MGH) has antimicrobial and wound-healing properties, and therefore the aim of this study was to investigate whether intra-socket application improved healing after tooth extraction. It was postulated that applying MGH would reduce inflammation, improve the viability of the surgical flap and enhance healing following tooth extraction.

Methods

A prospective randomised controlled trial was performed in client-owned cats undergoing bilateral tooth extractions of the same element of the canine or (pre)molar tooth. A split-mouth design was used in which every animal served as its own control. After surgical extraction of the elements, the sockets on one side were filled with an MGH-based ointment (L-Mesitran Soft), whereas the contralateral side received no treatment (control). A mucoperiosteal flap was used on both sides, and simple interrupted monofilament sutures were placed. No antimicrobial drugs were administered. Clinical parameters (inflammation/redness, flap viability and wound healing) were subjectively analysed on days 3 and 7 post-extraction by a veterinarian blinded to the treatment.

Results

Twenty-one cats were included. MGH significantly decreased signs of inflammation ( P <0.01), improved mucoperiosteal flap viability ( P <0.01) and promoted wound healing ( P = 0.01), at both time points. MGH was easy to apply and there were no adverse events.

Conclusions and relevance

Intra-socket application of MGH after tooth extraction positively affects the surgical wound, as it reduces redness, improves flap viability and enhances wound healing. Applying MGH represents a potent adjuvant therapy to support intra-oral wound healing after tooth extraction.
Clinical characteristics, risk factors and short-term prognosis of retinopathy of prematurity complicated with retinal hemorrhage
Authors: Li Qiuping , Han Tao , Wang Zonghua , Tang Hongyi , Feng Zhichun
Published: October 2022

Purpose

To investigate the incidence, clinical characteristics and short-term prognosis of retinal hemorrhage (RH) in premature infants with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods

From July 2015 to December 2021, the incidence and clinical characteristics of RH in premature infants with ROP diagnosed in a NICU of China before treatment were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

A total of 670 premature infants were diagnosed with ROP, including 406 males and 254 females, with a mean gestational age (GA) of 29.51 ± 2.15w and a mean birth weight of 1240.56 ± 292.97g, excluding 10 premature infants who had progressed to stage 4 or 5 at the time of transfer and receiving vitrectomy. Of them, 322 (48.8%) premature infants had Type 1 ROP and received laser or anti-VEGF therapy, and 142 (21.3%) premature infants developed RH before treatment. The GA and birth weight of RH group were lower than those of non-RH group (29.19 ± 2.19w vs. 29.60 ± 2.13w; 1178.11 ± 282.01g vs. 1257.69 ± 293.85g, both P < 0.05), and the proportion of premature infants receiving treatment was also higher than that of non-RH group (97/142, 68.3% vs. 225/518, 43.4%). The lower the GA and the birth weight, the higher the incidence of RH. The incidence of RH was 45.5% in GA <26w and 30.5% in birth weight <1000g. After treatment, 7 eyes (2.6%) of 5 cases (3.5%) in RH group developed retinal detachment vs. 4 eyes (0.4%) of 3 cases (0.6%) in non-RH group, showing a significant difference between the two groups (χ2 = 8.043, P < 0.01). Regression analysis showed that RH, Zone I lesions, plus lesions, and the postnatal time of ocular lesions were independent risk factors for Type 1 ROP.

Conclusion

The lower the GA and the birth weight, the higher the incidence of ROP complicated with RH. RH is an indicator of severe ROP associated with poor retinal prognosis.
Gaps in the Utilization of Community Health Services for the Elderly Population in Rural Areas of Mainland China: A Systematic Review Based on Cross-Sectional Investigations
Authors: Deng Shanshan , Zhang Chenchen , Guo Xing , Lv Hekai , Fan Yanyan , Wang Zhuoxin , Luo Dan , Duan Xiaoxia , Sun Xinying , Wang Fuzhi
Published: October 2022

Background:

While the community health service system was initially established in rural areas of mainland China, the utilization of community health service resources by the rural elderly population is not clear.

Methods:

Cross-sectional studies on the utilization of community health services by the rural elderly population in mainland China published within the last 10 years were retrieved from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wan Fang, Medline and Web of Science (WOS) databases. The quality of the article was evaluated by the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), and obstacles to the utilization of community health services by the rural elderly population were analyzed based on the Andersen model.

Results:

Twenty-four studies were analyzed, and 3 gaps were found. (i) The cognition of rural elderly residents does not match the current health security system. (ii) There is a gap between the supply of health service resources in rural communities and the health needs of the elderly residents in these areas. (iii) The health services provided by rural primary health service institutions are not targeted.

Conclusions:

In mainland China, the provision of community health services to the rural elderly population has improved significantly. However, several factors from the individual level to the system level lead to low levels of access and utilization. This finding means that under the leadership of the government, it is necessary to integrate the strength of multiple departments to cooperate in improving the welfare system, policy publicity, health education, financial support, system guarantees and resource exchange and sharing for the elderly population in rural areas and to jointly promote community health services for the elderly population in rural areas.
Emotions and multilingualism in family language policy: Introduction to the special issue
Authors: Sevinç Yeşim , Mirvahedi Seyed Hadi
Published: October 2022

Aims:

The primary aim of this special issue is to advance theoretical and empirical knowledge about the role of emotion in family language policy (FLP). To better capture the complexity and multiplicity of emotion, the issue brings together five articles that reflect on different aspects of emotions in multilingual families and approach the topic from different perspectives, methods, populations, and settings.

Approach:

In this paper, we first address the conceptual and theoretical grounds of emotions in multilingual families through an interdisciplinary perspective to integrate recent developments in emotion research in psychology of language learning into FLP framework. We present two distinct ways in which language and emotion intersect in different subdisciplines of linguistics and in various research contexts while we centre on the context of FLP: (1) the language of emotions and (2) emotions about language(s), linguistic repertoire, and language practices. We then introduce the articles in this special issue and address the implications for the pivotal role played by emotion in FLP and their social, cultural aspects (e.g., family ties, identity construction, agency, and socialization).

Conclusions:

We conclude with a discussion of implications for future research on emotion in the study of FLP and multilingualism. We emphasize the need to treat emotion as one of the individual components of multilingualism and FLP because of its critical role in multilingual parenting and/or caregiving.

Originality:

This special issue is devoted to a better understanding of emotion in FLP research.This introduction addresses key theoretical and methodological issues in the study of emotion in FLP. It contributes to the need for epistemological vigilance and methodological diversity in investigating emotions in multilingualism and FLP.
‘I can live without you’: Self-branding as individuation in young Chinese women’s transnational mobilities
Authors: Fan Jiali , Kanai Akane
Published: October 2022

In recent years, significant numbers of young middle-class Chinese women have moved abroad to construct an individual ‘biography’ beyond the unequal gendered expectations of the post-reform context. This article reports on a 2019 qualitative study combining interviews and visual analysis of WeChat and Instagram posts to consider how young Chinese women temporarily living in Australia maintain relationships with upper middle class family who have supported their daughters’ overseas ventures. In the wake of sweeping privatization which has encouraged parents to invest in their only children as their ‘only hopes’, online media has allowed parents to be ‘pervasively present’ for distant daughters in these transnational movements. We document participants’ curated self-branding for family on WeChat as a means of managing and negotiating this sometimes interventionist presence. Our participants’ practices reveal a complex juggling act: managing individual desires to optimize the overseas experience but carefully modulating such experience for the parental audience. Post-pandemic follow-up interviews in 2022 also suggest complications in the use of transnational mobility to extend the possibilities of flourishing, with parental pressure to return to a more proximate zone of surveillance in China. Such practices indicate the gendered contradictions young women face: pushed but also desiring to succeed individually in an unequal marketplace, while being further tethered to the family unit.
Experimental and simulation study on blast loads of cylindrical Shells
Authors: Wei Wuchen , Zheng Dianshuang , Yang Di , Guo Hongchi , Yin Fei , Zhi Xudong
Published: October 2022

Public buildings that house large populations are easy targets for terrorist attacks, the primary issue of architectural blast-resistant design is how to get blast loads on the surface of structures, and the shapes of blast waves and buildings both have important effects on it. In this paper, experiments and numerical simulations were carried out on blast loads on the surface of the cylindrical shell. blast loads, detonation products, and blast waves were well recorded and simulated, blast loads at the edge of cylindrical shells were attenuated by about 75%, and vortex rings were accidentally photographed nearby. blast loads are much affected by the location of the detonation point, charge shape, and charge size. The original shape of structures rather than deformation determines the distribution of blast loads, the air viscosity also needs to be scaled when using a scaled model to test blast loads. Experimental and simulation methods can offer a reference for building a standard database of blast loads.
Red Tsars and Iron Ladies: Exploring the role of marketing forces in the construction of political heroism
Authors: Patsiaouras Georgios , Fitchett James
Published: October 2022

Considering the inherently divisive legacy of political (anti)heroes, marketing scholars have paid limited attention to the construction of heroic political profiles and institutions. Accordingly, this study seeks to provide an original and thorough analysis on how two 20th century political (anti)heroes have been manufactured and shaped through early and contemporary forms of marketing practice. Adopting a historical perspective and focussing on the political profiles of Joseph Stalin and Margaret Thatcher, the aim of the paper is threefold. Firstly, we show the involvement of propaganda and marketing practice behind the emergence of heroic profiles and we highlight their impact to the construction of hero institutions. Secondly, we critically discuss the role of State propaganda and marketing forces in the shaping, maintenance and communication of collective heroic discourses aiming to strengthen the ideological underpinnings of these heroic institutions. Finally, we provide novel insights on the underexamined role of marketing practice as agent of social-political change behind the rise of political forces that shape government policy, marketplaces and consumer cultures.
Early Application of Palbociclib Plus Endocrine Therapy in HR+/HER2− Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Better Choice Based on Data From the Chinese Population
Authors: Zhang Yusi , Chen Wenlin , Chen Shuanglong , Yang Qingmo , Ouyang Zhong
Published: October 2022

Background: Palbociclib is the most widely used cyclin-dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitor in China, but its early application efficacy on Chinese metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients was reported deficiently. Methods: Between February 2019 to December 2021, 95 female hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HER2−) patients with MBC received palbociclib combined with AI or fulvestrant were retrospectively analyzed in our center. The primary outcome was progression-free survival (PFS). The objective response rate and clinical benefit rate (CBR) were evaluated. Results: The median follow-up period was 15 months (range from 2 to 37). Palbociclib performed superiorly when applicated in first-and-second line therapy than in later lines ( P  =  .002). Palbociclib combined with AI or fulvestrant had a median PFS of 34 months (95% confidence interval [CI]  =  6.87-61.13) and 12 months (95%CI  =  7.76-16.24), respectively. Univariate subgroup analysis showed that the previous history of salvage chemotherapy ( P  =  .015) and the presence of liver metastases ( P < .001) significantly affected the efficacy of palbociclib. Despite the existence of liver metastases and primary endocrine resistance, which are two independent predictors of poor prognosis, early application of palbociclib in advanced stage can bring further benefits to these two groups of patients, rather than choosing salvage chemotherapy in the first place. Conclusion: Palbociclib combined with endocrine therapy has a favorable efficacy and acceptable toxicity in HR+/HER2− Chinese MBC patients. Better performance can be seen when palbociclib was applicated in the early stage.
Significant Tumor Reduction With Traditional Chinese Medicine in a Patient With Advanced Prostate Cancer: A Case Report
Authors: Zhang Xiaojun
Published: October 2022

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common malignancy of the male genitourinary system. For patients with advanced progressive PC, the treatment strategies include second-line endocrine therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Such therapeutic techniques are either too expensive or too toxic for some patients, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has become an alternative for its low cost and low toxicity. The application of Shi-pi-san and Gui-zhi-Fu-ling-wan in PC has never been reported. We report their application on a 71-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with PC and was undergoing endocrine therapy. He originally chose chemotherapy, and experienced acute renal failure, which required hemodialysis during hospitalization. He felt weak and opted for Chinese herbal medicine treatment. After treatment with Shi-pi-san and Gui-zhi-Fu-ling-wan, the patient’s tumor and other symptoms were significantly reduced, and he reported feeling “refreshed.” This case indicates that TCM treatment has unique advantages and is more tolerable than endocrine therapy and chemotherapy. Considering that the patient was undergoing hemodialysis treatment and using low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) to prevent blood coagulation while taking TCM, whether LMWH has a synergistic anticancer effect remains to be explored.
Analysis of magnetohydrodynamics flow of a generalized viscous fluid through a porous medium with Prabhakar-like fractional model with generalized thermal transport
Authors: Khan Zar Ali , Ishaq Muhammad , Ghani Usman , ullah Rooh , Iqbal Saqib
Published: October 2022

It is looked into how fractional MHD and viscous fluid naturally flow across a vertical plate that oscillates with a steady heat flux in a porous medium. The analytical solution for non-dimensional momentum was generated using the Laplace transform and the Boussinesq approximation. Comparisons are presented between Fourier’s law-described classical thermal transport and Prabhakar-like fractional time free convection flows in terms of temperature and velocity. By using fractional viscous fluid, we were able to produce conventional viscous fluid solutions and complete their objective. Finally, diagrams are used to show how different parameters such as Prandtl number, fractional parameters, Grashof number, effective permeability, time on temperature and velocity, and graphically recovered the solution available in the literature.
Poor collateral flow with severe hypoperfusion explains worse outcome in acute stroke patients with atrial fibrillation
Authors: Yang Jianhong , Wu Yuefei , Gao Xiang , Shang Qing , Xu Yao , Han Qing , Li Jichuan , Chen Chushuang , Bivard Andrew , Parsons Mark W , Lin Longting
Published: October 2022

Background:

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with poorer functional outcomes in acute stroke patients. It has been hypothesized that this is due to poor collateral recruitment.

Aims:

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between AF and collaterals with outcome in thrombectomy patients.

Methods:

This retrospective cohort study identified 1036 acute ischemic patients from the INternational Stroke Perfusion Imaging REgistry. The cohort was divided into two groups: 432 with AF and 604 without AF. Patients were stratified by collateral grades as good, moderate, and poor. Within each collateral grade, the prediction of AF versus No AF for good outcome (3-month modified Rankin Scale of 0–2) was determined. Then, within each collateral grade, perfusion was compared between those with and without AF.

Results:

AF was negatively associated with good outcome in patients with poor collaterals (26.7% vs 51.2% for AF vs No AF, odds ratio = 0.32 (95% confidence interval = 0.22–0.50), p < 0.001), but not in patients with good (50.9% vs 58.1% for AF vs No AF, odds ratio = 0.75 (0.46–1.23), p = 0.249) or moderate collaterals (43.6% vs 50.9% for AF vs No AF, odds ratio = 0.75 (0.47–1.18), p = 0.214). AF was associated with severe hypoperfusion only in patients with poor collateral flow (54.0 vs 35.5 mL for AF vs No AF, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

AF-related stroke is associated with more severe hypoperfusion and worse outcome in those with poor collaterals.
Individually tailored home-based physiotherapy program makes sustainable improvement in exercise capacity and daily physical activity in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Butāne Līna , Spilva-Ekerte Liene , Šablinskis Matīss , Skride Andris , Šmite Daina
Published: October 2022

Background:

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare, chronic, progressive, and life-threatening cardiopulmonary disease. This study investigated the impact of an individually tailored 12 weeks home-based physiotherapy program in PAH patients, with the aim to evaluate change in exercise capacity and daily physical activity level.

Methods:

This was an analysis of secondary outcomes from a prospective, randomized, controlled intervention study. Twenty-one participants were recruited from the Latvian PH registry based on inclusion criteria and randomized in a training group (TG) and control group (CG). Both groups continued a medical target therapy, but for TG, the individually tailored home-based physiotherapy program was added including physical exercises, relaxation, self-control, education, and supervision with telehealth elements. Outcomes included a 6-min walk test (6MWT) (m) and daily physical activity based on accelerometry results assessed at baseline, after 12 weeks, and at follow-up 6 months after commencement of intervention.

Results:

6MWT distance significantly ( p < 0.05) and clinically (>33 m) increased within TG after 12 weeks (51.8 m, 95% CI = 25.7–77.9 m, Cohen’s d = 1.7) and at follow-up (75.5 m, 95% CI = 46.1–104.8 m, Cohen’s d = 2.1). A significant difference in 6MWT results between the groups at 12 weeks and follow-up was approved. In TG, low-intensity activities significantly ( p < 0.05) increased both after 12 weeks (Cohen’s d = 1.6) and at follow-up (Cohen’s d = 1.2), moderate-intensity activities significantly ( p < 0.05) increased at follow-up (Cohen’s d = 1.3), and no significant improvements were present in CG.

Conclusion:

The individually tailored 12 weeks home-based physiotherapy program comprising comprehensive physical exercise training, relaxation, self-control skills training, and education, added to stable medical target therapy and supervised by physiotherapist through telehealth elements, is effective in improving exercise capacity and increasing daily time in low or moderate physical activities 6 months after commencement of the intervention in patients with PAH.
Radiotherapy may augment response to immunotherapy in metastatic uveal melanoma patients
Authors: Grynberg Shirly , Stoff Ronen , Asher Nethanel , Shapira-Frommer Ronnie , Schachter Jacob , Haisraely Ory , Lawrence Yaacov , Ben-Betzalel Guy
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

Uveal melanoma (UM) is a subtype of melanoma arising from the ocular region. Despite various local therapies available, a significant portion of patients develop distant metastases, primarily to the liver. While cutaneous melanoma is very sensitive to immunotherapy, UM is known to be less responsive and patients were excluded from pivotal clinical trials. To date, there is no standard first line therapy for metastatic UM and clinical trial participation is encouraged. While UM is considered a radio-resistant tumor, there is a role for radiotherapy (RT) as palliative treatment and possibly for immune sensitization. This a retrospective analysis aimed at addressing the role of combination checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) with RT as a synergistic treatment in metastatic UM patient. We hypothesized that concurrent RT would improve the clinical response to immunotherapy.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review of patients with metastatic UM treated with ICI at Ella Lemelbaum Institute between 2015 and 2021. Patients’ electronic medical records were analyzed for baseline characteristics, response rate and survival data. Patients were grouped according to receipt of concomitant RT. Study was approved by local IRB and statistical analyses done using Stata V.17

Results:

Thirty-nine patients were treated with immunotherapy. Fifty percent were treated with anti-programmed cell death (PD)-1 and 50% with anti-PD1– anti CTLA4 combination therapy. Nine patients were treated concomitantly with immunotherapy and external beam RT or with stereotactic body RT (group A) and 29 patients were treated with immunotherapy alone (group B). Overall response rate was significantly higher in group A (44% versus 10%, p = 0.004). Median progression-free survival was longer for patients in group A (22 months versus 3 m, Hazard Ratio (HR) = 0.37, p = 0.036). Median overall survival was also longer for group A (26 months versus 7.5 m, HR = 0.34, p = 0.03). Toxicity was comparable between the groups.

Conclusions:

RT may improve response to immunotherapy with ICI in metastatic UM patients and may confer an advantage in survival. Further prospective, larger studies are warranted.
Healthcare Economics of High Frequency Spinal Cord Stimulation for Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Authors: Rajkumar Shashank , Venkatraman Vishal , Zidanyue Yang Lexie , Parente Beth , Lee Hui-Jie , Lad Shivanand P.
Published: October 2022

Background:

Painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) is a debilitating complication of long-term diabetes. High-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HF-SCS) was recently shown to be an effective treatment option, but the associated healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) on real-world patient populations with pDPN is unknown.

Methods:

Using IBM MarketScan databases, we identified patients with HF-SCS implantation between January 2016 and December 2019 who had a diagnosis of diabetes or diabetic neuropathy within two years before implant. Cost data were collected for the six months before HF-SCS implantation (baseline) and for the periods of one, three, and six months post-implantation. The six-month explant rate was calculated.

Results:

A total of 132 patients met inclusion criteria. The median total cost at baseline was $19 220 and was $1356 at one month post-implant, $4858 at three months post-implant, and $13 305 at six months post-implant. The median baseline out-of-pocket cost was $1477 and was $710 at six months post-implant. The average total cost reduction from baseline to six months post-implant was $5118 ( P < .001), or $853 per month. The median device acquisition cost was $35 755. The explant rate within six months was 2.1%.

Conclusions:

High frequency spinal cord stimulation significantly reduces total HCRU in patients with pDPN, and based on the average monthly cost reduction of $853, we estimate that the therapy recoups acquisition costs within 3.5 years. As policy increasingly focuses on value-based care, it will be critical to consider the cost and outcomes of innovative therapies.
Indigenous Lands are Better for Amphibian Biodiversity Conservation Than Immigrant-Managed Agricultural Lands: A Case Study From Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru
Authors: Serrano-Rojas Shirley J. , Whitworth Andrew , Paredes-Garcia Julio A. , Pillco-Huarcaya Ruthmery , Whittaker Lawrence , Huaypar-Loayza Karl H. , MacLeod Ross
Published: October 2022

The efficacy of protected areas is tied to the management of surrounding areas. Still, the importance of buffer zones for biodiversity conservation is overlooked. Manu Biosphere Reserve is one of the most biodiverse places on earth, yet destructive land-use practices are degrading the ecological integrity of its buffer zone. To better understand the importance of different land-uses within Manu’s buffer zone for biodiversity conservation, we assessed amphibian communities across a land-use gradient in the buffer zone (immigrant agricultural land, forests used by three Indigenous communities, and a regenerating forest), in addition to a reference site in its core protected area. We surveyed six sites and sampled amphibian communities using visual encounter surveys and leaf litter searches over dry and wet seasons.

Overall, in 2249 ha surveyed of the buffer zone, we recorded 70 amphibian species (57% of the 124 species recorded in the Manu Biosphere Reserve from the same elevational range within our study). Species richness, evenness, and diversity of amphibians decreased with habitat degradation and were lowest in the agricultural land. Conversely, the richness and diversity of amphibians in the regenerating forest and the Indigenous communities’ forests were similar to that of the core protected area, and each had a relatively unique community composition, whereas the agricultural land was dominated by generalist species. Our results suggest that increasing degradation through expanding agriculture traditionally adopted by immigrant communities could significantly threaten biodiversity within the buffer zone. However, our findings also underscore the high potential of buffer zones managed by Indigenous communities for biodiversity conservation. A combination of sustainable livelihood activities, cultural practices, and forest protection, as observed in many Indigenous communities, is critical to fulfilling the role of a Biosphere Reserve—to reconcile the conservation of biological and cultural diversity while improving social and economic development.
Impact of National Pandemic Lockdowns on Perceived Threat of Immigrants: A Natural Quasi-Experiment Across 23 Countries
Authors: Han Qing , Zheng Bang , Leander N. Pontus , Agostini Maximilian , Gützkow Ben , Kreienkamp Jannis , Kutlaca Maja , Lemay Edward P. , Stroebe Wolfgang , vanDellen Michelle R. ,   PsyCorona Collaboration, Bélanger Jocelyn J.
Published: October 2022

Xenophobia and anti-immigrant attacks rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet this may not be solely due to the disease threat. According to theories of frustration and scapegoating, situational obstructions and deprivation can motivate prejudice against outgroups. Using a global natural quasi-experimental design, this study tests whether the restrictiveness of national lockdowns can explain higher individual-level perceptions of immigrant threat. Data of 45,894 participants from 23 countries were analyzed. Both lockdown duration and lockdown severity were positively associated with individuals’ perceived threat of immigrants. The lockdown effects were independent of objective and subjective measures of disease threat, and there was no evidence that disease threat drives people’s prejudice toward immigrants. Subgroup analysis suggested the lockdown effects were reliable in Europe and the Americas, but not in Asia. These findings suggest a need to mitigate frustration and scapegoating when implementing lockdowns, and to distinguish the influence of societal restrictions from disease threat.
Towards a political economy of technical systems: The case of Google
Authors: Rieder Bernhard
Published: October 2022

This research commentary proposes a conceptual framework for studying big tech companies as “technical systems” that organize much of their operation around the mastery and operationalization of key technologies that facilitate and drive their continuous expansion. Drawing on the study of Large Technical Systems (LTS), on the work of historian Bertrand Gille, and on the economics of General Purpose Technologies (GPTs), it outlines a way to study the “tech” in “big tech” more attentively, looking for compatibilities, synergies, and dependencies between the technologies created and deployed by these companies. Using Google as example, the paper shows how to interrogate software and hardware through the lens of transversal applicability, discusses software and hardware integration, and proposes the notion of “data amalgams” to contextualize and complicate the notion of data. The goal is to complement existing vectors of “big tech” critique with a perspective sensitive to the specific materialities of specific technologies and their possible consequences.
Comments, Shares, or Likes: What Makes News Posts Engaging in Different Ways
Authors: Tenenboim Ori
Published: October 2022

In a digital media environment where content distribution is shaped by technology companies’ algorithms and user behaviors, news organizations try to post content that can prompt user engagement in forms such as comments, shares, and likes or reactions. This study employs a content analysis of 1,600 messages and analyses of engagement metrics for 157,962 messages to examine to what extent and how Facebook messages of US and Israeli news organizations differ in the engagement modes they generate: commenting versus sharing versus liking/reacting. Drawing on the participation paradigm in audience research, news value theory, and literature on engagement enhancers, the study shows that certain content characteristics are associated with each of the examined engagement modes in more than one country while other content characteristics are associated with particular modes, but not with all of them. It offers a nuanced understanding of user interaction with news-related content and helps think about content units as more engaging or less engaging than others, or as engaging in different ways.
The Caring Mission – Nursing Personnel’s Inner Driving Force in End-of-Life Care
Authors: Karlsson Margareta , Karlsson Christina , Kasén Anne
Published: October 2022

Constantly facing human suffering and impending death can generate anxiety and insecurity in nursing personnel in end-of-life care. The aim of the study is to reveal nursing personnel’s inner driving force in end-of-life care. A phenomenological hermeneutical method was used to search for meaning in the narrative data collected in this study. The structural analysis resulted in four themes: The appeal in the patient’s vulnerability, The appeal in the patient’s joy, Facing one’s own existence in vulnerability, and Being at home with colleagues. Both vulnerability and joy motivated nursing personnel in caring. The care was often emotionally engaging and oscillated between grief and joy, which required a great deal from the nursing personnel both as professionals and fellow human beings. At the same time the emotionally engaging constituted an inner driving force, which gave them courage to do the best for the patients at the end of life.
Experiences and Satisfaction of Patients with Non-Communicable Diseases with Current Care in Primary Health Care Centres in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Hazazi Ahmed , Wilson Andrew
Published: October 2022

Primary healthcare centres (PHCs) play a pivotal role in chronic disease care and prevention and therefore in the experience and satisfaction of patients with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This survey examined the experiences and satisfaction of 315 Patients with NCDs receiving care from PHCs. Participants were from attendees at Ministry of Health PHCs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Findings indicate that most patients were satisfied with the care they received and confirmed the importance of providers’ and physicians’ communication skills in this. There was a lack of evidence of managed care, including patient involvement in disease management suggesting that steps are needed to empower patients to take a greater role in disease management. This study emphasises the important role of physicians in providing patients with information and empowering them to access community health facilities for self-managed care. This study also indicates a need to strengthen the primary health care system's focus on care beyond PHCs.
Therapeutic Futility in Nursing: A Focus Group
Authors: Vieira João V. , Deodato Sérgio , Mendes Felismina
Published: October 2022

Introduction: The implementation of futile nursing interventions seems to be a persistent problem in adult intensive care units. Understanding this phenomenon can contribute to its prevention and all deleterious effects associated with it. Objective: To identify the perceptions of expert nurses from adult intensive care units about therapeutic futility in nursing. Methods: This study consists of a conventional content analysis. Data was collected through a focus group interview that included five expert nurses in adult intensive care, with a minimum of fifteen years of professional experience in intensive care. To analyze the information, the technique of thematic categorical analysis was used, according to Bardin. Results: Four central categories were identified for the topic under study, for which several subcategories were identified that allow a better understanding of this phenomenon. Conclusion: Adult intensive care expert nurses advocate that therapeutic futility in nursing is a reality perceived by teams and families, which should be avoided due to the risk of potentiating the implementation of ethically reprehensible care.
Grassroots innovations in ‘extreme’ urban environments. The inclusive recycling movement
Authors: Zapata Campos María José , Carenzo Sebastián , Charles Goodluck , Gutberlet Jutta , Kain Jaan-Henrik , Oloko Michael O , Reynosa Jessica Pérez , Zapata Patrik
Published: October 2022

Waste pickers all over the world work innovatively to reduce the environmental footprint of cities as they struggle to meet their critical livelihood obligations. Informed by the case of waste picker organizations (WPOs) this article examines how grassroots initiatives and extreme-niche innovations are created and sustained by mobilizing resources, rationales and relations. The study is informed by a cross-national survey and in-depth interviews with WPOs in Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Kenya and Tanzania, and builds upon theories of grassroots innovation movements. The findings show how operating in contexts of extreme scarcity, these grassroots organisations tap into local resources, e.g. tacit knowledge, economies of affection and other socially embedded institutional resources. Blending material and environmental rationales, contributes to expanding their audiences and to gaining further support. In such deprived urban contexts, radical and cumulative crises and events hindering residents’ livelihoods can paradoxically also spark ingenuity out of necessity, and the transformation of these settings into extreme niches of innovation. Finally, the mobilization of relations through the formation of networks linking WPOs with supportive intermediaries and global circuits of solidarity becomes another fundamental resilience strategy by which WPOs can navigate contested environments and insert their extreme-niche innovations in governmental structures. By simultaneously adopting a broad repertoire of strategies of insertion, contention, and mobilization WPO and their innovations thrive in highly constrained environments. We conclude with reflecting on how ‘ extreme’ niches of innovation − at the cracks of the formal city, economy and waste systems − can unleash the creative power of stigmatized, illiterate and neglected grassroots to experiment with new solutions in resource-poor environments.
Long-Term Follow-up of Complex Calcaneal Osteomyelitis Treated With Modified Gaenslen Approach
Authors: Kendal Adrian , Loizou Constantinos , Down Billy , McNally Martin
Published: October 2022

Background:

The treatment of chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis is a challenging and increasing problem because of the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and operative fixation of heel fractures. In 1931, Gaenslen reported treatment of hematogenous calcaneal osteomyelitis by surgical excision through a midline, sagittal plantar incision. We have refined this approach to allow successful healing and early mobilization in a modern series of complex patients with hematogenous, diabetic, and postsurgical osteomyelitis.

Methods:

Twenty-eight patients (mean age 54.6 years, range 20-94) with Cierny-Mader stage IIIB chronic calcaneal osteomyelitis were treated with sagittal incision and calcaneal osteotomy, excision of infected bone, and wound closure. All patients received antibiotics for at least 6 weeks, and bone defects were filled with an antibiotic carrier in 20 patients. Patients were followed for a mean of 31 months (SD 25.4). Primary outcome measures were recurrence of calcaneal osteomyelitis and below-knee amputation. Secondary outcome measures included 30-day postoperative mortality and complications, duration of postoperative inpatient stay, footwear adaptions, mobility, and use of walking aids.

Results:

All 28 patients had failed previous medical and surgical treatment. Eighteen patients (64%) had significant comorbidities. The commonest causes of infection were diabetes ± ulceration (11 patients), fracture-related infection (4 patients), pressure ulceration, hematogenous spread, and penetrating soft tissue trauma. The overall recurrence rate of calcaneal osteomyelitis was 18% (5 patients) over the follow-up period, of which 2 patients (7%) required a below-knee amputation. Eighteen patients (64%) had a foot that comfortably fitted into a normal shoe with a custom insole. A further 6 patients (21%) required a custom-made shoe, and only 3 patients required a custom-made boot.

Conclusion:

Our results show that a repurposed Gaenslen calcanectomy is simple, safe, and effective in treating this difficult condition in a patient group with significant local and systemic comorbidities.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, retrospective case series.
On Becoming a Yogi Coach—Part 1
Authors: Ananthanarayanan Raghu , Kishore Bala , Somayaji Manikantan , Shastri Kartik , Sreekumar T. S.
Published: October 2022

This article proposes a conceptual understanding on becoming a Yogi coach. Yogic perspective is presented to help coaches become better coaches by being able to resonate with their coachees. This resonance is achieved by the coach developing Sakhi (friend) and SAkshi (witness/meditative) bhAva (state of mind) as their inner anchorage. The current article examines the nature of conversations through the lens of Patanjali Yoga sutras and details out developing Sakhi bhAva and SAkshi bhAva using the Chakra principles. Discussion is done on the nature of conversations, the inner drama, and its consequences. The article brings out the seven types of conversation and the potential transformation a Yogi Coach can offer. Yogic view is proposed to enhance coaching conversations to facilitate deeper inquiry, explore possibilities and aid inner transformation by the coachee. This article is the first article of the two-part series on becoming a Yogi coach.
Self-determination Theory and Indian Wisdom
Authors: S Parimala , Ilavarasu Judu
Published: October 2022

Self-determination theory (SDT) has become a prominent motivational theory. It suggests the existence of three fundamental psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. When these three needs are pursued and met to varying degrees, the motivation will be self-sustaining and the resulting behavioural change will be long-lasting. This is essential for the growth and sustenance of the organisation. We attempted to discuss the role of SDT in organisational behaviour and to present a few concepts of Indian philosophy, such as karma yoga, bhakti yoga and jnana yoga, that are pertinent to the practical implementation of SDT in organisational settings. We contend that combining SDT with these Indian thoughts can result in a harmonious, self-sustaining organisational system.
A method to obtain exact single-step GBLUP for non-genotyped descendants when the genomic relationship matrix of ancestors is not available
Authors: Garrick Dorian J. , Fernando Rohan L.
Published: October 2022

Background

Single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) involves a joint analysis of individuals with genotype information, and their ancestors, descendants, or contemporaries, without recorded genotypes. Livestock applications typically represent populations with fewer individuals with genotypes relative to the number not genotyped. Most breeding programmes are structured, consisting of a nucleus tier in which selection drives genetic gains that are propagated through descendants that represent parents in multiplier and commercial tiers. In some cases, the genotypes in the nucleus tier are proprietary to a breeding company, and not publicly available for a whole industry analysis. Bayesian inference involves combining a defined description of prior information with new information to generate a posterior distribution that contains all available information on parameters of interest. A natural extension of Bayesian analysis would be to use information from the posterior distribution to define the prior distribution in a subsequent analysis.

Methods

We derive the mixed model equations for inference on breeding values for non genotyped individuals in that subset of the population that is of current interest, using only data on the performance of current individuals and their immediate pedigree, along with prior information defined from the posterior distribution of an external BLUP or single-step GBLUP analysis of the ancestors of the current population.

Discussion

Identical estimates of breeding values and their prediction error covariances for current animals of interest in the multiplier or commercial tier can be obtained without requiring neither the genomic relationship matrix nor genotypes of any of their ancestors in the nucleus tier, as can be obtained from a single analysis using pedigree, performance, and genomic information from all tiers. The Bayesian analysis of the current population does not require explicit information on unselected genotyped animals in the external population.
Effect of Schistosoma haematobium infection on the cognitive functions of preschool age children and benefits of treatment from an endemic area in Zimbabwe
Authors: Kasambala Maritha , Mduluza Takafira , Vengesai Arthur , Mduluza-Jokonya Tariro , Jokonya Luxwell , Midzi Herald , Makota Rutendo Birri , Mutemeri Arnold , Maziti Emmanuel , Dube-Marimbe Bazondlile , Chibanda Dixon , Mutapi Francisca , Mukaratirwa Samson
Published: October 2022

Background

Schistosomiasis is known to affect the cognitive functions of children, however, but there is paucity of information on its impact on early childhood development in developing countries where the disease is endemic. This study aimed at determining the effects of schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium on early childhood development in children below 5 years old from Murewa District, Zimbabwe, including the benefits of treatment.

Methods

Preschool age children (PSAC) under the age of 5 years were screened at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment for S. haematobium infections diagnosed using the urine filtration method. Cognitive domains were assessed using the Griffith Mental Developmental Scales III on 136 PSAC. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the level of association between S. haematobium infection and performance in the cognitive domains adjusting for confounding factors (i.e. nutrition, hemoglobin levels, gender and age). Median Development Quotient scores of each cognitive domain at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment were compared and quantified.

Results

After adjusting for confounding factors, PSAC infected with S. haematobium had greater odds of having lower scores in the Foundation of Learning Domain (OR = 3.9, p = 0.008), Language and Communication Domain (OR = 3.2, p = 0.017), Eye-Hand Coordination Domains (OR = 10.7, p = 0.001), Personal-Social-Emotional Domain (19.3, p = 0.001) and in the Overall General Development Domain (7.2, p = 0.011). Improvement of cognitive performance was observed at 6 months post treatment in the following Domains; Language and Communication Domain (p = 0.003), Eye-Hand Coordination Domain (p = 0.02) and General Development Domain (p = 0.006).

Conclusion

The study showed that S. haematobium infection in PSAC is associated with lower cognitive scores in the Foundation of Learning, Language and Communication, Eye-Hand Coordination, Personal-Social-Emotional and in the Overall General Development domains. Our results strengthen the call for inclusion of PSAC in routine deworming programs for the control of urinary schistosomiasis and the need to develop locally validated tools to monitor early child development in endemic areas where resources are limited.
Go To Travel campaign and the geographic spread of COVID-19 in Japan
Authors: Anzai Asami , Jung Sung-mok , Nishiura Hiroshi
Published: October 2022

Background

In 2020, the Japanese government implemented first of two Go To Travel campaigns to promote the tourism sector as well as eating and drinking establishments, especially in remote areas. The present study aimed to explore the relationship between enhanced travel and geographic propagation of COVID-19 across Japan, focusing on the second campaign with nationwide large-scale economic boost in 2020.

Methods

We carried out an interrupted time-series analysis to identify the possible cause-outcome relationship between the Go To Travel campaign and the spread of infection to nonurban areas in Japan. Specifically, we counted the number of prefectures that experienced a weekly incidence of three, five, and seven COVID-19 cases or more per 100,000 population, and we compared the rate of change before and after the campaign.

Results

Three threshold values and three different models identified an increasing number of prefectures above the threshold, indicating that the inter-prefectural spread intensified following the launch of the second Go To Travel campaign from October 1st, 2020. The simplest model that accounted for an increase in the rate of change only provided the best fit. We estimated that 0.24 (95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.34) additional prefectures newly exceeded five COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population per week during the second campaign.

Conclusions

The enhanced movement resulting from the Go To Travel campaign facilitated spatial spread of COVID-19 from urban to nonurban locations, where health-care capacity may have been limited.