bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterizing the molecular and metabolic mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Anopheles gambiae s.l. in Faranah, Guinea
Authors: Stica Caleb , Jeffries Claire L. , Irish Seth R. , Barry Yaya , Camara Denka , Yansane Ismael , Kristan Mojca , Walker Thomas , Messenger Louisa A.
Published: April 2019

Background

In recent years, the scale-up of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS) has greatly reduced malaria transmission. However, malaria remains a global public health concern with the majority of disease burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Insecticide resistance is a growing problem among Anopheles vector populations, with potential implications for the continued effectiveness of available control interventions. Improved understanding of current resistance levels and underlying mechanisms is essential to design appropriate management strategies and to mitigate future selection for resistance.

Methods

Anopheles gambiae s.l. mosquitoes were collected from three villages in Faranah Prefecture, Guinea and their levels of susceptibility to seven insecticides were measured using CDC resistance intensity bioassays. Synergist assays with piperonyl butoxide (PBO) were also undertaken to assess the role of elevated mixed-function oxidases in resistance. RNA was extracted from 563 individuals and PCR was performed on cDNA to determine vector species, presence of target site mutations (L1014F kdr, N1575Y and G119S Ace-1), Plasmodium falciparum infection, and relative expression of three metabolic genes (CYP6M2, CYP6P3 and GSTD3).

Results

In Faranah, resistance to permethrin and deltamethrin was observed, as well as possible resistance to bendiocarb. All assayed vector populations were fully susceptible to alpha-cypermethrin, pirimiphos-methyl, clothianidin and chlorfenapyr. Plasmodium falciparum infection was detected in 7.3% (37/508) mosquitoes tested. The L1014F kdr mutation was found in 100% of a sub-sample of 60 mosquitoes, supporting its fixation in the region. The N1575Y mutation was identified in 20% (113/561) of individuals, with ongoing selection evidenced by significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The G119S Ace-1 mutation was detected in 62.1% (18/29) of mosquitoes tested and was highly predictive of bendiocarb bioassay survival. The metabolic resistance genes, CYP6M2, CYP6P3 and GSTD3, were found to be overexpressed in wild resistant and susceptible An. gambiae s.s. populations, compared to a susceptible G3 colony. Furthermore, CYP6P3 was significantly overexpressed in bendiocarb survivors, implicating its potential role in carbamate resistance in Faranah.

Conclusions

Identification of intense resistance to permethrin and deltamethrin in Faranah, is of concern, as the Guinea National Malaria Control Program (NMCP) relies exclusively on the distribution of pyrethroid-treated LLINs for vector control. Study findings will be used to guide current and future control strategies in the region.
Optimized but not maximized cue integration for 3D visual perception
Authors: Chang Ting-Yu , Kim Byounghoon , Thompson Lowell , Sunkara Adhira , Doudlah Raymond , Rosenberg Ari
Published: April 2019

Reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) scenes from two-dimensional (2D) retinal images is an ill-posed problem. Despite this, our 3D perception of the world based on 2D retinal images is seemingly accurate and precise. The integration of distinct visual cues is essential for robust 3D perception in humans, but it is unclear if this mechanism is conserved in non-human primates, and how the underlying neural architecture constrains 3D perception. Here we assess 3D perception in macaque monkeys using a surface orientation discrimination task. We find that perception is generally accurate, but precision depends on the spatial pose of the surface and available cues. The results indicate that robust perception is achieved by dynamically reweighting the integration of stereoscopic and perspective cues according to their pose-dependent reliabilities. They further suggest that 3D perception is influenced by a prior for the 3D orientation statistics of natural scenes. We compare the data to simulations based on the responses of 3D orientation selective neurons. The results are explained by a model in which two independent neuronal populations representing stereoscopic and perspective cues (with perspective signals from the two eyes combined using nonlinear canonical computations) are optimally integrated through linear summation. Perception of combined-cue stimuli is optimal given this architecture. However, an alternative architecture in which stereoscopic cues and perspective cues detected by each eye are represented by three independent populations yields two times greater precision than observed. This implies that, due to canonical computations, cue integration for 3D perception is optimized but not maximized.

Author summary

Our eyes only sense two-dimensional projections of the world (like a movie on a screen), yet we perceive the world in three dimensions. To create reliable 3D percepts, the human visual system integrates distinct visual signals according to their reliabilities, which depend on conditions such as how far away an object is located and how it is oriented. Here we find that non-human primates similarly integrate different 3D visual signals, and that their perception is influenced by the 3D orientation statistics of natural scenes. Cue integration is thus a conserved mechanism for creating robust 3D percepts by the primate brain. Using simulations of neural population activity, based on neuronal recordings from the same animals, we show that some computations which occur widely in the brain facilitate 3D perception, while others hinder perception. This work addresses key questions about how neural systems solve the difficult problem of generating 3D percepts, identifies a plausible neural architecture for implementing robust 3D vision, and reveals how neural computation can simultaneously optimize and curb perception.
Uncovering the Binding Mode of γ-Secretase Inhibitors
Authors: Hitzenberger M. , Zacharias M.
Published: April 2019

Knowledge of how transition state inhibitors bind to γ-secretase is of major importance for the design of new Alzheimer’s disease therapies. Based on the known structure of γ-secretase in complex with a fragment of the amyloid precursor protein we have generated a structural model of γ-secretase in complex with the effective L-685,458 transition state inhibitor. The predicted binding mode is in excellent agreement with experimental data, mimicking all enzyme-substrate interactions at the active site and forming the relevant transition state geometry with the active site aspartate residues. In addition, we found that the stability of the complex is very likely also sensitive to the pH value. Comparative simulations on the binding of L-685,458 and the epimer L682,679 allowed us to explain the strongly reduced affinity of the epimer for γ-secretase. The structural model could form a valuable basis for the design of new or modified γ-secretase inhibitors.
Expansion of a fly TBI model to four levels of injury severity reveals synergistic effects of repetitive injury for moderate injury conditions
Authors: Putnam Lauren J , Willes Ashley M , Kalata Brooke E , Disher Nathaniel D , Brusich Douglas J
Published: April 2019

Several million traumatic brain injury (TBI) events are reported in the United States annually. However, mild TBI events often go unreported, and mild and repetitive mild TBI conditions are challenging to model. Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) have gained traction for the study of TBI. The best-characterized fly TBI model is the high-impact trauma (HIT) method. We replicated the HIT method and confirmed several previous findings at the standard level of injury severity. We then expanded upon the HIT model by characterizing mortality across three reduced levels of injury severity. Importantly, we found reduced mortality with reduced injury severity and synergistic effects on mortality in response to repetitive TBI by our moderate injury conditions. Last, we compared moderate, repetitive TBI to a single severe TBI via assessment of the pattern of mortality and geotaxis performance in the 24 h following TBI. We found the number and severity of injuries could result in different patterns of death, while all TBI conditions led to impaired geotaxis compared to uninjured flies at 0.5 h and 6 h post-TBI. Thus, we have extended a well-characterized model of TBI in flies, and shown the utility of this model for making unique insights into TBI across various severities, injury numbers, and time-points post-injury.
Competitive Productivity (CP) at macro–meso–micro levels
Authors: Baumann Chris , Cherry Michael , Chu Wujin
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to advance our understanding of competitiveness. The authors introduce the concept of Competitive Productivity (CP), supplementing shortcomings of traditional understandings of national, organisational and individual productivity which overlook the nature of competitiveness, i.e. outperforming the competition, or at least bettering one’s own performance. The authors offer definitions, components and construct measurements of CP at three levels: macro, meso and micro.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of the literature was conducted to evaluate the need for combining productivity and competitiveness into one new construct. There are theories that combine these ideas – e.g., the resource-based theory of the firm – but the authors are presenting these concepts differently, or in a novel way. The authors’ focus on CP makes necessary a new group of construct measures which are different from that of the strategy literature: the authors measure an agent’s tendency “to be better than the competition” along multiple dimensions. Based on the CP construct, the authors present three testable models to uncover determinants of CP at three levels (macro, meso and micro). Finally, the work around “emergent property” can be applied to examine CP itself as being a determinant for other higher-order outcomes such as welfare, profits and life satisfaction. CP forms a platform to explore likely interplay (bottom-up and/or top-down mechanisms) within the micro–meso–macro architecture.

Findings

Three CP models were developed and are briefly discussed in this paper: first, a National Competitive Productivity (NCP) model to capture the components/drivers of national CP (macro level). Second, a Firm Competitive Productivity (FCP) model to capture the components/drivers of firm CP within an industry context (meso). And finally, an Individual Competitive Productivity (ICP) model capturing the components/drivers of CP at the individual (micro) level.

Originality/value

The study provides a combined approach to capture productivity and competitiveness within one innovative concept: CP. It can be used by government and policy makers (NCP model), managers and organisations (FCP model), and individuals such as workers and students (ICP model) to evaluate and enhance their performance. A better understanding of the components/drivers of CP at the three levels and the suggested measurement of CP should provide a stronger theory of competitiveness of nations, firms and individuals. Not least should a focus on the three levels (macro, meso and micro) better prepare citizens, firms, workers and students to effectively function and work in the marketplace and in society. The authors’ work should eventually contribute to more effective benchmarking and continuous improvement in the competitiveness domain. Crucially, this conceptual paper forms the foundation for future empirical testing of CP components in the context of the relative values and moderated behaviour as captured by the ReVaMB model.
When free gifts hurt the promoted product
Authors: Park Yookyung , Yi Youjae
Published: April 2019

Purpose

The present study aims to demonstrate that providing a free gift upon purchase may induce consumers to devaluate the main product promoted with the offer. The mediating role of persuasion knowledge and the moderating role of consumer shopping orientation are also examined.

Design/methodology/approach

Three studies with between-subject designs are conducted to test the influence of product–gift fit on evaluations of the promoted product.

Findings

When a low-fit gift (vs a high-fit gift) is provided as a promotional offer, consumers’ evaluations of the promoted product are undermined. These negative effects are driven by consumers’ activation of persuasion knowledge on the company’s ulterior motive to entice consumers to make a purchase. Such devaluation effects occur especially for consumers with a task-focused shopping orientation, whereas they are mitigated for consumers with an experiential shopping orientation.

Research limitations/implications

This research extends the conceptualization of product–gift fit and challenges the common claim that free gift promotions maintain the value of the promoted product. By instigating a mechanism underlying consumers’ objections toward low-fit gifts, this research implies that consumers may think of an implicit cost to a free offer based on their knowledge of companies’ tactics.

Practical implications

Marketers should be aware of the fact that a certain gift may come at a cost for companies and bring about negative inferences regarding the main product. They need not only to select a gift that drives sales but also to be cautious about the gift’s influence on perceptions of the main product. Marketers should ensure that the gift has a good fit with the product while trying to discover a unique gift for consumers. Marketers should also provide an offer that matches shopping orientation of the target consumers.

Originality/value

This research reveals counterevidence to prior research claiming that free gift promotion does not hurt the perceived value of the promoted product. It enhances a theoretical understanding of devaluation effects and provides useful implications for designing and targeting free gift promotion.
Dynamic prediction of cardiovascular disease using improved LSTM
Authors: Junwei Kuang , Yang Hangzhou , Junjiang Liu , Zhijun Yan
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Previous dynamic prediction models rarely handle multi-period data with different intervals, and the large-scale patient hospital records are not effectively used to improve the prediction performance. This paper aims to focus on the prediction of cardiovascular disease using the improved long short-term memory (LSTM) model.

Design/methodology/approach

A new model based on the traditional LSTM was proposed to predict cardiovascular disease. The irregular time interval is smoothed to obtain the time parameter vector, and it is used as the input of the forgetting gate of LSTM to overcome the prediction obstacle caused by the irregular time interval.

Findings

The experimental results show that the dynamic prediction model proposed in this paper obtained a significant better classification performance compared with the traditional LSTM model.

Originality/value

In this paper, the authors improved the LSTM by smoothing the irregular time between different medical stages of the patient to obtain the temporal feature vector.
The impact of enterprise social media platforms on knowledge sharing
Authors: Sun Yuan , Zhou Xinjie , Jeyaraj Anand , Shang Rong-An , Hu Feng
Published: April 2019

Purpose

Enterprise social media platforms (ESMPs) are web 2.0-based computer media tools that facilitate knowledge sharing by employees. The purpose of this paper is to outline the potential of ESMPs in both enabling and hindering knowledge sharing from the perspective of affordances.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a conceptual paper which integrates the literature on ESMPs’ affordances and knowledge sharing.

Findings

This paper finds that prior research on affordances only considered artifacts without much attention on the role of individual goals and organizational context. ESMPs may both enable and hinder knowledge sharing by affording different user behaviors contingent on artifacts, individual goals and organizational context.

Practical implications

The results of the paper will help managers and ESMPs designers to better understand the potential of ESMPs and pay attention to the positive and negative impacts of ESMPs in the process of knowledge sharing.

Originality/value

The paper derives a new categorization of affordances based on individual goals and organization context and portrays a model to describe how and when these affordances enable knowledge sharing through the development of transactive memory system and social capital and hinder knowledge sharing through overload, groupthink and privacy invasion.
How to achieve less emissions from freight transport in Sweden
Authors: Vierth Inge , Karlsson Rune , Linde Tobias , Cullinane Kevin
Published: April 2019

Purpose

For the case of Sweden, this paper aims to determine how a range of different infrastructure fees and taxes influences modal split, port throughputs, air emissions, societal costs of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution, as well as logistics costs.

Design/methodology/approach

The Swedish national freight model is used to simulate a range of different proposed infrastructure fees, one by one and in combination. The volume of emissions of CO2-equivalents, NOx, SOx and PM under the different scenarios is calculated in both volume and monetary terms, by applying national emission factors and EU values for external costs.

Findings

Road user fees are calculated to have the largest impact on the modal split, GHG emissions and air pollution. The impact increases slightly when road user fees are combined with higher fees for sea and rail and/or gate fees in all Swedish ports. The imposition of gate fees over €30 per truck in all ports leads to shifts in cargo to land-based modes and to ports outside Sweden. The logistics costs in Sweden are found to be three to ten times higher than the benefits of reduced GHG emissions and air pollution, although other benefits to society need to be considered as well.

Research limitations/implications

Methods which attempt to evaluate alternative approaches to the internalisation of the external costs caused by transport need to be further developed. In particular, they need to encompass a more holistic perspective on “benefits to society”, other than merely reductions in GHG emissions and air pollution. To facilitate international acceptance and adoption, such methods require agreements to be reached on common definitions and routines.

Practical implications

The results can be used as basis for policy-making. They illustrate the environmental impacts of the fees and taxes one by one and in combination and to what extent these reinforce each other and should be co-ordinated.

Social implications

The outcomes are relevant to national and international policymakers and authorities, as well as port authorities, shippers and transport companies who need to determine unilateral strategies on how to reduce GHG emissions and air pollution, without undermining their wider business objectives.

Originality/value

The approach is original in facilitating the testing of policies which impact on the transport system and the environment across different dimensions. The work has additional value in informing policy because of its use of Sweden’s national freight transport model.
Trends in Agricultural Production Efficiency and their Implications for Food Security in Sub‐Saharan African Countries
Authors: Nsiah Christian , Fayissa Bichaka
Published: April 2019

The main objective of this paper is to estimate the agricultural sector production efficiency using data envelopment analysis based on a cross‐section of 49 African countries over the 1995–2012 period in order to analyze the determinants of annual efficiency scores to assess the impact of agricultural efficiency on food security. We find that agriculture aid, agricultural sector infrastructure, sanitation, and good governance serve the main drivers of agriculture efficiency and its growth. Our findings also suggest that a large portion of Africa's agricultural sector growth can be attributed to technical progress as opposed to efficiency changes.
Does carbon farming provide a cost‐effective option to mitigate GHG emissions? Evidence from China
Authors: Tang Kai , He Chuantian , Ma Chunbo , Wang Dong
Published: April 2019

In this study, we apply a whole farm bioeconomic analysis to explore the changes in land use, farm practices and on‐farm greenhouse gas (GHG) emission under varying levels of agricultural greenhouse gas abatement incentives in the form of a carbon tax for a semi‐arid crop‐livestock farming system in China's Loess Plateau. Our results show that the optimised agricultural enterprises move towards being cropping‐dominated reducing on‐farm emission since livestock perform is the major source of emission. Farmers employ less oats‐based and rapeseed‐based rotations but more dry pea‐based rotations in the optimal enterprise mix. A substantial reduction in on‐farm greenhouse gas emission can be achieved at low cost with a small increase in carbon incentives. Our estimates indicate that crop‐livestock farmers in China's Loess Plateau may reduce their on‐farm GHG emission between 16.6 and 33 per cent with marginal abatement costs <￥100/t CO2e and ￥150/t CO2e in 2015 Chinese Yuan. The analysis implies that reducing greenhouse gas emission in China's semi‐arid crop‐livestock agriculture is potentially a low‐cost option.
From Global to Anthropocenic Assemblages: Re‐Thinking Territory, Authority and Rights in the New Climatic Regime
Authors: Matthews Daniel
Published: April 2019

In a widely read study, Saskia Sassen uses the territory, authority, rights (TAR) framework in order to analyse the transformation of social life in the West from ‘medieval’ to ‘global’ assemblages. In the context of rapid, planetary climatic change – with many claiming that we have entered a new and climatically uncertain epoch known as the Anthropocene – does the TAR framework provide the relevant conceptual resources required to understand the ‘Anthropocenic’ assemblages of the present? This article examines the limitations of Sassen's TAR framework, arguing that alterative theoretical resources are required in order to grasp the changing dynamics of social life in the context of the new climatic regime.
Juvenile Facial Growth and Mimicry: A Preliminary 3D Study
Authors: Curti Serena Maria , Barla Niccolò , Bianchi Francesca Antonella , Di Vella Giancarlo , Orto Daria , Ramieri Guglielmo Amedeo , Verzé Laura
Published: April 2019

Studies focused on facial development during childhood have been conducted by means of 3D technology to provide modifications of anthropometric parameters. Facial mobility was also considered. This study proposed a 3D approach to facial growth changes. Facial surface data of 6 subjects were acquired in T1 (age 7–14 years) and after 7 years (T2), in rest position, and during voluntary movements, by a 3D laser scanner. Linear and angular measurements on rest position scans at T1 and T2 were compared. Each mimic scan was superimposed with the corresponding rest scan. Displacement of significant anthropometric points was measured for each facial gesture and at T1 and T2 statistically compared. Vertical measurements were those most influenced by aging. Some measurements of central facial area were consistent over time. The pattern of soft tissues displacement for each expression was consistent in T1 and T2. These results may be helpful for missing children identification.
Enhancement of Composition and Oxidative Stability of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) Seed Oil by Blending with Specialty Oils
Authors: Bordón María Gabriela , Meriles Silvina Patricia , Ribotta Pablo Daniel , Martinez Marcela Lilian
Published: April 2019

Chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) oil is mainly composed of ω‐3 fatty acids (61% to 70%). Despite being nutritionally favorable, higher amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids result in poorer oxidative stability. Thus, the aim of this work was to produce edible vegetable oil blends rich in ω‐3 fatty acids and with greater oxidative stability than pure chia oil. Blending of chia with other specialty oils (walnut, almond, virgin, and roasted sesame oils) was assessed in the following respective proportions: 20:80, 30:70, and 40:60 (v/v). An accelerated storage test was conducted (40 ± 1 °C, 12 days). Primary and secondary oxidation products, free fatty acid content, antioxidant compounds, fatty acid composition, and induction time were determined. The blends presented higher oxidative stability indices than chia oil. Sensory analysis showed that, given a pure oil, judges did not identify statistically significant differences among the blends. The results suggest that blending of chia oil is an adequate alternative to obtain ω‐3‐enriched oils with higher oxidative stability indices.

Practical Application

Vegetable oil blending is a widely used practice in the edible oil industry to produce blended oils with enhanced stability and nutritional and sensory properties at affordable prices. The blends developed in this study from chia, sesame, walnut, and almond oils take advantage of the properties of each parent oil to yield products with improved oxidative stability, essential fatty acid presence, and sensory characteristics. To achieve a daily intake of 2.22 g/day of ω‐3 fatty acids as recommended by the Intl. Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), it is necessary to consume approximately one spoonful of the formulated mixtures.
Developing and Validating a UPLC‐MS Method with a StageTip‐Based Extraction for the Biogenic Amines Analysis in Fish
Authors: Zhang Jingbo , Hu Jing , Wang Shuai , Lin Xinping , Liang Huipeng , Li Shengjie , Yu Chenxu , Dong Xiuping , Ji Chaofan
Published: April 2019

To effectively extract biogenic amines (BAs) from complex food matrices is an important issue. In this study, a stop‐and‐go‐extraction tip (StageTip)‐based method for simultaneous enrichment of six BAs including histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, tryptamine, and β‐phenylethylamine in fish samples was developed and optimized. This StageTip‐based BAs extraction method required short extraction time, small sample size, and minimal consumption of organic solvents. In addition, an ultrahigh‐performance liquid chromatography coupled with triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was used to identify and quantify BAs without derivatization. Target recovery efficiencies of BAs from spiked fish samples ranged from 84% to 110%. Linear regression models were established to determine BAs in the range of 0.4 to 3.0 mg/L (R2 > 0.995). Good repeatability was obtained with relative standard deviation of peak areas (1.17 to 5.61%) and retention time (0.09 to 0.20%). High sensitivity was achieved for the detection of six BAs (0.064 to 1.00 ng/L for the limit of detection, 0.10 to 5 ng/L for the limit of quantification). The proposed method had an obvious advantage in the analysis of BAs in complex food matrices such as fish tissues since it could reflect the subtle distribution of BAs from one fish fillet.

Practical Application

A StageTip‐based BAs enrichment combined with UPLC‐MS analysis method was developed and optimized, which was low‐cost, environmentally friendly, and with good analytical performances. As such, it has the potential to become a powerful tool for the analysis of BAs in different complex food matrices.
Treatment with golimumab or infliximab reduces health resource utilization and increases work productivity in patients with ankylosing spondylitis in the QUO‐VADIS study, a large, prospective real‐life cohort
Authors: Claudepierre Pascal , Van den Bosch Filip , Sarzi‐Puttini Piercarlo , Vastesaeger Nathan , Govoni Marinella , Kachroo Sumesh
Published: April 2019

Aim

We evaluated the effects of anti‐tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents on health economics in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients.

Methods

QUality of Life as Outcomes and its VAriation with DIsease States (QUO‐VADIS) was a prospective observational study following bio‐naïve AS patients (modified New York criteria) newly treated with golimumab (GLM) or infliximab (IFX; originator) in a clinical practice setting over 6 months. We evaluated use of concomitant medications, hospitalizations (in‐patient care or acute care) and visits in day care and out‐patient settings for the assessment of healthcare resource utilization (HCRU). Work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) was assessed by the number of work days missed and quantifying absenteeism, presenteeism, work impairment, and activity using the WPAI instrument adapted to spondyloarthritis (WPAI‐SpA).

Results

Nine hundred and sixty‐three patients received ≥1 dose of medication (78%, n = 751 GLM; 22%, n = 221 IFX). Mean age was 42.7 years; 61.4% were male. At baseline, the percentage of patients who reported hospitalizations (in‐patient care) was 13.6%, which decreased to 3.1% at 6 months, while out‐patient care at baseline was reported by 39.4% of patients, which decreased to 19.0% at 6 months. The percentage of patients receiving acute emergency at baseline reduced from 1.6% to 0.3% at 6 months. The mean (SD) number of days of work missed due to AS, was reduced from 6.3 (31.1) days at baseline to 2.7 (12.3) days at 6 months.

Conclusion

In patients with AS newly treated with GLM or IFX for 6 months, HCRU was reduced and work productivity and activity increased.
Aberrant expression of microRNAs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells as candidate biomarkers in patients with axial spondyloarthritis
Authors: Li Xiaomin , Lv Qing , Tu Liudan , Zhao Minjing , Zhang Peizhuo , Li Qiuxia , Wei Qiujing , Cao Shuangyan , Gu Jieruo
Published: April 2019

Objectives

Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis involving the axial skeleton. Recent evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether miR‐17‐5p, miR‐27a, miR‐29a and miR‐126‐3p can be verified as potential biomarkers of axSpA.

Methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) miRNA expression was evaluated by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction among 43 patients with AS, 26 patients with non‐radiographic axSpA (nr‐axSpA) and 39 healthy controls. Detailed clinical histories were recorded and the correlation of miRNAs and clinical features were analyzed.

Results

When compared to controls, both patients with AS and nr‐axSpA had significantly higher expression levels of miR‐17‐5p, miR‐27a, miR‐29a and miR‐126‐3p. MiR‐27a was negatively correlated with Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score as well as C‐reactive protein in patients with nr‐axSpA (r = −0.51, P < 0.01 and r = −0.42, P = 0.034 respectively). No other clinical features were found to correlate with the four miRNAs in patients with AS. Mir‐29a showed highest area under the curve with 0.952 and these four miRNAs may be potential biomarkers in patients with axSpA.

Conclusions

We reported elevated miR‐17‐5p, miR‐27a, miR‐29a and miR‐126‐3p expression in PBMCs of patients with axSpA, and the expression of these four miRNAs might be used as useful diagnostic markers in axSpA.
Islamic and Western Ethical Values in Health Services Management: A Comparative Study
Authors: Mohammadi Afsaneh , Vanaki Zohreh , Memarian Robabeh , Fallahrafie Ramezan Ali
Published: April 2019

PURPOSE

This research was performed to compare Islamic and Western ethical values in health services management.

APPROACH

Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review was employed.

FINDINGS

Eight final categories of Islamic values (i.e., honesty, piety, foresight, dignity, justice, good temperament, widened heart, and certainty to God) and nine final categories of Western values in health services management (i.e., honesty, freedom, forgiveness, altruism, justice, dignity, responsibility, tolerance, and wisdom) were extracted in this study.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed some discrepancy between Islamic and Western ethical values, which are partially due to a different definition of values in Islam and the West.

IMPLICATIONS

The comparison of ethical values can facilitate the exchange of intellectual, cultural, and experimental ideas between Islamic and Western healthcare management.
Impact of land use and tenure changes on the Kitenden wildlife corridor, Amboseli Ecosystem, Kenya
Authors: Mbane Joseph O. , Chira Robert M. , Mwangi Evans M.
Published: April 2019

This study assesses the ecological pressure exerted by changing land use and tenure on the Kitenden wildlife corridor, a critical cross‐border link between the Amboseli and Kilimanjaro national parks. The implications on viability of the two high‐value protected areas and their respective dispersal areas are both negative and serious. The extent of land use change and its impacts were assessed through household and vegetation surveys, while wildlife abundance was measured using transect walks. Approximately 30% of the study area has shifted from community to private land ownership over the last two decades. Except for baboon and vervet monkey, most wildlife avoided the cultivated area. Vegetation composition on the noncultivated area has been greatly altered by intense wildlife and livestock use, where mean herbaceous vegetation cover differed significantly among range‐plant categories (F3, 524 = 29.015, p < 0.05). The frequency of increaser I (21.4%) differs greatly from that of decreaser and forbs, at 8.3% and 7.4%, respectively Tree recruitment was low, with a significant difference in mean density among age classes (F2, 110 = 3.663, p < 0.05). Only through land leasing agreements between landowners and conservation organisations, and a widely supported land use plan, can the spread of cultivation be controlled and complete cessation of wildlife movement be prevented.
Oncological safety of laparoscopic versus open colorectal cancer surgery in obesity: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Bell Stephen , Kong Joseph C. , Carne Peter W. G. , Chin Martin , Simpson Paul , Farmer Chip , Warrier Satish K.
Published: April 2019

Background

Colorectal cancer resection in the obese (OB) patients can be technically challenging. With the increasing adoption of laparoscopic surgery, the benefits remain uncertain. Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the short‐ and long‐term outcomes of laparoscopic compared to open colorectal cancer resection in the OB patients.

Methods

A systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines. The outcome measures were 5‐year disease‐free survival, overall survival, circumferential resection margin and local and distant recurrence.

Results

A total of 20 studies were included, with a total number of 6779 participants, of whom 1785 (26.3%) were OB and 4994 (73.7%) were non‐obese (NOB) participants. The OB patients had higher R1 resection (OB 6.9% versus NOB 3.1%; P = 0.011) and lower mean number of lymph nodes harvested, with standard mean difference of −0.29; P = 0.023, favouring the NOB patients. However, there was no statistical difference for local (OB 2.8% versus NOB 3.4%) or distant recurrence (OB 12.9% versus NOB 15.2%) rate between the two cohorts. There was no difference in 5‐year disease‐free survival (OB 81% versus NOB 77.4%; odds ratio 1.25, P = 0.215) and overall survival (OB 89.4% versus NOB 87.9%; odds ratio 1.16, P = 0.572). Lastly, the OB group had higher mean total blood loss, total operative time and length of hospital stay when compared to NOB patients.

Conclusion

From a pooled non‐randomized study, laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection is safe in OB patients with equivalent long‐term outcomes compared to NOB patients. However, there is a higher morbidity rate with an increased demand on hospital resources for the OB cohort.
Neck lump clinic: a new initiative at North Shore Hospital
Authors: Linkhorn Hannah , Pandya Hament , Ramsaroop Reena , Wade Mark , Smith Kevin
Published: April 2019

Background

Neck lumps can cause significant patient anxiety and benefit from a multidisciplinary diagnostic approach, with an ultrasound scan and fine needle aspirate. Internationally, ‘one‐stop’ clinics are used for the evaluation of neck lumps, to date no such clinic has been established in the New Zealand public hospital system. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a one‐stop diagnostic neck lump clinic (NLC), aiming for improved patient experience and efficiency.

Methods

A consultant‐led pilot NLC was instituted with the involvement of a head and neck surgeon, radiologist and pathologist, allowing ultrasound scan and fine needle aspirate investigations to be performed simultaneously. A retrospective audit of patients in the 12 months prior to commencement of the NLC provided a comparison group.

Results

The median number of clinic visits was 2 in the control group and 1 in the NLC (P < 0.001). Time from first specialist appointment to surgery was 192 days compared to 134.5 days for NLC (P = 0.057). Median time from first specialist appointment to treatment decision was 108.5 days compared to 0 days in the NLC (P < 0.001). Eighty‐eight percent of patients in the NLC were given a diagnosis at their first appointment. The median number of investigations required was 2 in the control group and 1 in the NLC (P < 0.001). Median cost per patient in the NLC was $794 and $1470 in the control group.

Conclusion

This pilot trial demonstrates streamlined decision‐making and efficient utilization of services with a reduction in clinic visits, investigations and cost. High patient satisfaction was reported with this service.
Supporting families involved in court cases about life‐sustaining treatment: Working as academics, advocates and activists
Authors: Kitzinger Celia , Kitzinger Jenny
Published: April 2019

This article explores the links between our roles as academics, advocates, and activists, focusing on our research on treatment decisions for patients in vegetative and minimally conscious states. We describe how our work evolved from personal experience through traditional social science research to public engagement activities and then to advocacy and activism. We reflect on the challenges we faced in navigating the relationship between our research, advocacy, and activism, and the implications of these challenges for our research ethics and methodology—giving practical examples of how we worked with research participants, wrote up case studies and developed interventions into legal debates. We also address the implications of the impact agenda—imposed by the British Research Excellence Framework— for our actions as scholar‐activists. Finally, we ask how practicing at the borders of academia, advocacy, and activism can inform research—helping to contextualize, sensitize, and engage theory with practice, leading to a more robust analysis of data and its implications, and helping to ensure a dialogue between research, theory, lived experience, front‐line practice, law, and public policy.
Two potential evolutionary origins of the fruiting bodies of the dictyostelid slime moulds
Authors: Hehmeyer Jenks
Published: April 2019

Dictyostelium discoideum and the other dictyostelid slime moulds (‘social amoebae’) are popular model organisms best known for their demonstration of sorocarpic development. In this process, many cells aggregate to form a multicellular unit that ultimately becomes a fruiting body bearing asexual spores. Several other unrelated microorganisms undergo comparable processes, and in some it is evident that their multicellular development evolved from the differentiation process of encystation. While it has been argued that the dictyostelid fruiting body had similar origins, it has also been proposed that dictyostelid sorocarpy evolved from the unicellular fruiting process found in other amoebozoan slime moulds. This paper reviews the developmental biology of the dictyostelids and other relevant organisms and reassesses the two hypotheses on the evolutionary origins of dictyostelid development. Recent advances in phylogeny, genetics, and genomics and transcriptomics indicate that further research is necessary to determine whether or not the fruiting bodies of the dictyostelids and their closest relatives, the myxomycetes and protosporangids, are homologous.
Disruptive innovation from a process view: A systematic literature review
Authors: Petzold Neele , Landinez Lina , Baaken Thomas
Published: April 2019

There are many challenges in identifying and managing a disruptive innovation stemming from the limited knowledge on how it unfolds over time. Researchers have identified early signals and ex ante conditions that indicate its occurrence. However, an analysis from a process view acknowledging the underlying dynamics is yet to be done. By taking a process view within a systematic literature review, we analyse the scattered findings on the process of disruptive innovation to identify events and actions leading to a disruptive effect over time. We challenge the understanding of disruptive innovation as an outcome and the linearity of the process by proposing that disruptive innovation can be understood as occurring through emergent dynamics. These dynamics are constituted by: (a) the timing of entry and underlying processes that influences (b) the synchronization of events and actions and is shaped by (c) the adaptability of strategic actions. Thus, we complexify the concept of disruptive innovation to support the understanding of its unfolding and advance its manageability.
Regulatory T‐cells in alopecia areata
Authors: Speiser Jodi J. , Mondo Dana , Mehta Vikas , Marcial Sheela A. , Kini Ameet , Hutchens Kelli A.
Published: April 2019

Background

Alopecia areata (AA) is believed to have an autoimmune mechanism in which the hair follicles are targeted by CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes. Studies investigating the autoimmune mechanism of other cutaneous diseases, including vitiligo, showed that Treg is a component of cutaneous immune privilege. Our study uses immunohistochemical staining in formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue to examine the percentage of CD4+FoxP3+, CD25+FoxP3+, and CD8+FoxP3+ Treg in AA in human specimens.

Methods

Immunohistochemical double staining for CD4+FoxP3+, CD25+FoxP3+, and CD8+FoxP3+ was performed on 12 AA cases and 12 other autoimmune and non‐autoimmune cutaneous diseases. The frequency of CD4+FoxP3+, CD25+FoxP3+, and CD8+ FoxP3+ Treg was counted and expressed as a percentage of total CD4+, CD25+, and CD8+ lymphocytes, respectively, in order to account for intersample inflammatory response variability.

Results

There was a significant reduction in the mean frequency of CD4+ FoxP3+ and CD25+ FoxP3+ in AA when compared to other autoimmune and non‐autoimmune cutaneous diseases.

Conclusion

Treg is significantly lower in AA when compared to other cutaneous diseases. Additionally, this immunohistochemical‐staining protocol may be useful to evaluate Treg in formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded specimens for other cutaneous diseases. Studies examining Treg in AA and other cutaneous diseases may have implications for future interventions.
Understanding ecological change across large spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales: integrating data and methods in light of theory
Authors: Rapacciuolo Giovanni , Blois Jessica L.
Published: April 2019

The difficulty of integrating multiple theories, data and methods has slowed progress towards making unified inferences of ecological change generalizable across large spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. However, recent progress towards a theoretical synthesis now provides a guiding framework for organizing and integrating all primary data and methods for spatiotemporal assemblage‐level inference in ecology. In this paper, we describe how recent theoretical developments can provide an organizing paradigm for linking advances in data collection and methodological frameworks across disparate ecological sub‐disciplines and across large spatial and temporal scales. First, we summarize the set of fundamental processes that determine change in multispecies assemblages across spatial and temporal scales by reviewing recent theoretical syntheses of community ecology. Second, we review recent advances in data and methods across the main sub‐disciplines concerned with ecological inference across large spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales, and organize them based on the primary fundamental processes they include, rather than the spatiotemporal scale of their inferences. Finally, we highlight how iteratively focusing on only one fundamental process at a time, but combining all relevant spatiotemporal data and methods, may reduce the conceptual challenges to integration among ecological sub‐disciplines. Moreover, we discuss a number of avenues for decreasing the practical barriers to integration among data and methods. We aim to reconcile the recent convergence of decades of thinking in community ecology and macroecology theory with the rapid progress in spatiotemporal approaches for assemblage‐level inference, at a time where a robust understanding of spatiotemporal change in ecological assemblages is more crucial than ever to conserve biodiversity.
Surgical repair of synovial fistulae between a carpal hygroma, the tendon sheath of the extensor carpi radialis and the antebrachiocarpal joint in a horse
Authors: Rybar M. , Fraser B. S. L.
Published: April 2019

This paper reports the diagnosis and repair of synovial fistulae between a carpal hygroma and both the antebrachiocarpal (ABC) joint and the extensor carpi radialis (ECR) tendon sheath of the left carpus in a 7‐year‐old gelding. The communication was confirmed using contrast radiography. Arthroscopy visualised the synovial fistulae and aided in the surgical repair. The gelding made a full athletic and acceptable cosmetic recovery.
A network meta‐analysis of threats to South American fish biodiversity
Authors: Bezerra Luis Artur Valões , Freitas Matheus Oliveira , Daga Vanessa Salete , Occhi Thiago Vinicius Trento , Faria Larissa , Costa Ana Paula Lula , Padial Andre Andrian , Prodocimo Viviane , Vitule Jean Ricardo Simões
Published: April 2019

While environmental alterations have made Homo sapiens the hyperkeystone species of the globe, biotic homogenization initiated a new era, the “Homogenocene.” Still, some terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in South America are considered pristine and wild, which can lead to a general faith that economic progress is consistent with conservation strategies, even without scientific support. We compiled anthropogenic threats to fish biodiversity in a hierarchical meta‐analysis, along with an evidence synthesis of threats related to biological invasions, based on peer‐reviewed research with the aim to represent the actual conservation status of the South American ichthyofauna. We highlighted human‐related threats and synergistic effects of biological invasions, climate change, environmental alterations (e.g., pollution, aquaculture and damming) and fisheries. Considering measures that reinforce novel alien fish (e.g., artificial hybrids or genetically modified) introductions, it became clear why an eventual increase in local or regional species richness is not always beneficial to aquaculture, biodiversity, human well‐being or nature. In fact, citizens in all societal roles, including scientists, should revise their concepts about threats to fish biodiversity. Environmental policies require more than taxonomic diagnostics to achieve conservation goals under an incompatible scenario of a multiplying number of fish species and biotic homogenization. We advocate for countries in South America using science‐based strategies useful to maintain their social and economic growth along with their “remaining nature.” We live a crucial moment when the government overlooks threats to biodiversity and uses agribusiness as the most acceptable manner of fuelling the economy.