bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bioinformatics and the Politics of Innovation in the Life Sciences
Authors: Salter Brian , Zhou Yinhua , Datta Saheli , Salter Charlotte
Published: February 2016

The governments of China, India, and the United Kingdom are unanimous in their belief that bioinformatics should supply the link between basic life sciences research and its translation into health benefits for the population and the economy. Yet at the same time, as ambitious states vying for position in the future global bioeconomy they differ considerably in the strategies adopted in pursuit of this goal. At the heart of these differences lies the interaction between epistemic change within the scientific community itself and the apparatus of the state. Drawing on desk-based research and thirty-two interviews with scientists and policy makers in the three countries, this article analyzes the politics that shape this interaction. From this analysis emerges an understanding of the variable capacities of different kinds of states and political systems to work with science in harnessing the potential of new epistemic territories in global life sciences innovation.
To “Feel” and to “Understand” Political Struggle
Authors: Briziarelli Marco
Published: February 2016

While communication scholars who have invoked the Gramscian concept of hegemony have approached it primarily as a designation for cultural stability and domination, there have been fewer calls for its closer consideration in relation to human agency in the process of social change. Receptive of these calls, in this article, I develop an alternative to the dominant reading of the concept to show its productiveness in the analysis of a political group’s rhetorical situation. I claim that such a conceptualization advances the discussion toward a dimension of rhetorical intervention that passes from an oppressive to an emancipatory understanding of hegemony. I take as my case study the national-popular rhetoric of Podemos, a recently formed political party in Spain, which, in the context of the recent economic crisis, is building hegemony by successfully synthesizing public sentiments and intellectual involvement against austerity policies.
Increase in migraine diagnoses and guideline-concordant treatment in veterans, 2004–2012
Authors: Altalib HH , Fenton BT , Sico J , Goulet JL , Bathulapalli H , Mohammad A , Kulas J , Driscoll M , Dziura J , Mattocks K , Kerns R , Brandt C , Haskell S
Published: February 2016

Background and aim

Health administrators, policy makers, and educators have attempted to increase guideline adherence of migraine medications while reducing inappropriate use of opioid- and barbiturate-containing medications. We evaluated the burden of migraine and proportion of guideline-concordant care in a large, national health care system over time.

Methods

We conducted a time-series study using data from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health record. Veterans with migraines were identified by ICD-9 code (346.X). Prescriptions and comorbid conditions were evaluated before and after migraine diagnosis. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were performed.

Results

A total of 57,064 veterans were diagnosed with migraine headache (5.3%), with women significantly more likely diagnosed (11.6% vs. 4.4%, p < 0.0001). The number of veterans diagnosed with migraine has significantly increased over the years. By 2012, triptans were prescribed to 43% of people with migraine, with no difference by gender. However, triptan prescriptions increased from 2004 to 2012 in men, but not women, veterans. Preventive medicines showed a significant increase with the year of migraine diagnosis, after controlling for age, sex, race, and for comorbidities treated with medications used for migraine prevention.

Conclusions

The burden of migraines is increasing within the VHA, with a corresponding increase in the delivery of guideline-concordant acute and prophylactic migraine-specific medication.
Directing passions in New Delhi’s world of fashion
Authors: Kuldova Tereza
Published: February 2016

Grounded in long-term ethnographic fieldwork in New Delhi’s fashion industry, this article explores the pressing question on the designer’s mind, namely: how do I align the desires of others with my (master)-desire? This question points us towards an investigation of how people’s affects are mobilized and directed through commercial rituals such as fashion shows set within hyper-designed theatrical play-spheres. Translating the invisible or covert mobilization of affects into profit has been on the mind of advertisers for the last decade. However, analysing such deliberately covert strategies of capture employed in two cases – JJ Valaya’s haute couture shows and Nitin Bal Chauhan’s youth brand – we realize that it is precisely their failure at being covert that makes them effective; clients know full well about them. Robert Pfaller’s theory of ‘illusions without owners’ can throw some light here on why clients passionately embrace the desire of capital precisely against their better knowledge.
Synthesis, characterization and biological evaluation of strontium/magnesium-co-substituted hydroxyapatite
Authors: Geng Zhen , Wang Renfeng , Li Zhaoyang , Cui Zhenduo , Zhu Shengli , Liang Yanqin , Liu Yunde , Huijing Bao , Li Xue , Huo Qianyu , Liu Zhili , Yang Xianjin
Published: February 2016

The present study aims to investigate the contribution of two biologically important cations, Mg2+ and Sr2+, when co-substituted into the structure of hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, HA). The substituted samples were synthesized by a hydrothermal method that involved the addition of Mg2+ and Sr2+ containing precursors to partially replace Ca2+ in the apatite structure. Four co-substituted HA samples with different concentrations of Mg2+ and Sr2+ ((Mg + Sr)/(Mg + Sr + Ca) = 30%) were investigated, and they were compared with pure HA. Experimental results showed that only a limited amount of Mg (Mg/(Mg + Ca + Sr) < 14%) could successfully substitute for Ca in HA. In addition, Mg substitution resulted in reduced crystallinity, thermal stability and lattice parameters of HA. In contrast, Sr could fully substitute for Ca. Furthermore, the addition of Sr increased the lattice parameters of HA. Here, we obtained the cation leach liquor by immersing the prepared samples in a culture medium for cell experiments. The in vitro study showed that 10Mg20Sr promoted better MG63 cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation than HA. Thus, the presence of an appropriate proportion of Mg and Sr could play a significant role in the increased biocompatibility of HA.
The Role of Emotional Stability and Competence in Young Adolescents’ Career Judgments
Authors: Bubić Andreja , Ivanišević Karmen
Published: February 2016

A transition from elementary to high school represents a very profound change and a potential source of stress, as it often requires young adolescents to make significant professional decisions. This topic was the focus of the present study in which 303 Croatian students attending their final year of elementary school completed measures of career decision self-efficacy, emotional stability, emotional competence, and concerns regarding the upcoming transition. The results indicated emotional competence as a statistically significant predictor of career decision self-efficacy, whereas emotional stability was revealed as a significant predictor of career concerns. Furthermore, a moderating effect of gender and a mediating role of career decision self-efficacy were revealed in this context. These findings provide novel evidence regarding the complex relationship between individuals’ vocational self-beliefs and emotional processing and may be informative for vocational guidance interventions targeted at young adolescents undergoing similar educational transitions.
Preparation of poly(ether ether ketone)-based composite with high electrical conductivity, good mechanical properties and thermal stability
Authors: Lin Yu Jin , Qin Shi , Han Bing , Gao Cong , Zhang Shu Ling
Published: February 2016

Poly(ether ether ketone)-based (PEEK-based) composites with high electrical conductivity, good mechanical properties, and thermal stability were prepared using multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) as a conductive filler and the liquid crystalline copolymer of poly(aryl ether ketone) (FPEDEKKLCP) as a processing aid. The composites were fabricated using melt blending, and the MWCNT/PEEK composites with FPEDEKKLCP exhibited an obvious improvement in the measured electrical conductivity relative to the MWCNT/PEEK composite without FPEDEKKLCP. Moreover, the MWCNT/PEEK composites exhibited good mechanical properties and thermal stability after addition of an appropriate amount of FPEDEKKLCP. This is attributed to the good thermal stability of FPEDEKKLCP, wherein addition of FPEDEKKLCP effectively decreased the melt viscosity of the MWCNT/PEEK composites, accompanied by an improvement in the dispersion of the MWCNTs in the PEEK matrix.
Measuring and solving real coning motion of spinning carriers
Authors: Zhang Shuangbiao , Li Xingcheng , Su Zhong
Published: February 2016

Coning motion of spinning carriers is a complex rotating motion with various forms that include single circular motion, double circular motion and multiple circular motion. Due to the fact that it is difficult to describe the real coning motion of double circular motion and multiple circular motion by the common method of attack angle and sideslip angle (A–S), a cone frame and cone angles are defined to describe coning motion. Through analysis of measuring the relationship between coning motion and inertial devices such as gyroscopes and accelerometers, an inertial measuring method is proposed to build the measuring equation and resolving equation. A geometry-solving algorithm of real coning motion is derived in detail, and radiuses of large circle and real cone circle are obtained as well. A flight simulation of a spinning carrier with coning motion is designed and used to verify the measuring method and the geometry-solving algorithm. The result shows that: (1) the inertial measuring method has the same validity as A–S method to describe coning motion, but is superior to A–S method for the reason of providing the rotation information of carriers; (2) due to coupling relationship, the rotating angle is equal to the subtraction of roll angle and precession angle; (3) the real precession angle and the real nutation angle are calculated by the geometry-solving algorithm, and the real coning motion is obtained finally.
For 5-Month-Old Infants, Melodies Are Social
Authors: Mehr Samuel A. , Song Lee Ann , Spelke Elizabeth S.
Published: February 2016

For 1 to 2 weeks, 5-month-old infants listened at home to one of two novel songs with identical lyrics and rhythms, but different melodies; the song was sung by a parent, emanated from a toy, or was sung live by a friendly but unfamiliar adult first in person and subsequently via interactive video. We then tested the infants’ selective attention to two novel individuals after one sang the familiar song and the other sang the unfamiliar song. Infants who had experienced a parent singing looked longer at the new person who had sung the familiar melody than at the new person who had sung the unfamiliar melody, and the amount of song exposure at home predicted the size of that preference. Neither effect was observed, however, among infants who had heard the song emanating from a toy or being sung by a socially unrelated person, despite these infants’ remarkable memory for the familiar melody, tested an average of more than 8 months later. These findings suggest that melodies produced live and experienced at home by known social partners carry social meaning for infants.
Think Fast, Feel Fine, Live Long
Authors: Aichele Stephen , Rabbitt Patrick , Ghisletta Paolo
Published: February 2016

In a 29-year study of 6,203 individuals ranging in age from 41 to 96 years at initial assessment, we evaluated the relative and combined influence of 65 mortality risk factors, which included sociodemographic variables, lifestyle attributes, medical indices, and multiple cognitive abilities. Reductions in mortality risk were most associated with higher self-rated health, female gender, fewer years as a smoker, and smaller decrements in processing speed with age. Thus, two psychological variables—subjective health status and processing speed—were among the top predictors of survival. We suggest that these psychological attributes, unlike risk factors that are more narrowly defined, reflect (and are influenced by) a broad range of health-related behaviors and characteristics. Information about these attributes can be obtained with relatively little effort or cost and—given the tractability of these measures in different cultural contexts—may prove expedient for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions related to increased mortality risk in diverse human populations.
The importance of legislation in the provision of national and public library services in Zambia
Authors: Zulu Paul , Ngoepe Mpho , Saurombe Nampombe
Published: February 2016

Legislation plays an important role in the provision of national and public library services. In Zambia, however, libraries that perform the functions of national and public libraries are operating without a legislative mandate. As a result, there is fragmentation of library services as there is no single institution which performs all the functions of a national library service. Although several efforts have been made in the past to enact national library service legislation, no Act of Parliament has been passed to date (2015). This study provides empirical evidence depicting the benefits of having legislation in the provision of national and public library services. The study identifies institutions that perform functions of national and public library services in Zambia. Quantitative data were collected through questionnaires administered to public library staff and interviews with senior government officials and executive members of the Zambia Library Association and Zambia Library Consortium. The study recommends that appropriate legislation that puts together the functions of public and national libraries under one institution be enacted in Zambia as soon as possible. Failure to transform this pattern will jeopardise the preservation of the country’s cultural heritage.
Physician leadership development at Cleveland Clinic: a brief review
Authors: Christensen Terri , Stoller James K
Published: February 2016

Objective:

We aim to describe the rationale for and spectrum of leadership development programs, highlighting experience at a large healthcare institution (Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA).

Conclusions:

Developing leaders is a universal priority to sustain organizational success. In health care, significant challenges of ensuring quality and access and making care affordable are widely shared internationally and demand effective physician leadership. Yet, leadership competencies differ from clinical and scientific competencies and features of selecting and training physicians—who have been called “heroic lone healers” —often conspire against physicians being effective leaders or followers. Thus, developing leadership competencies in physicians is critical. Leadership development programs have been signature features of successful organizations and various Australian organizations offer such training (e.g. The Australian Leadership Foundation and the University of South Australia), but relatively few health care organizations have adopted the practice of offering such training, both in Australia and elsewhere. As a United States example of one such integrated program, the Cleveland Clinic, a large, closed-staff physician-led group practice in Cleveland, Ohio has offered physician leadership training for over 15 years. This paper describes the rationale, structure, and some of the observed impacts associated with this program.
Proposal of Standardization to Assess Adherence With Medication Records
Authors: Arnet Isabelle , Kooij Marcel J. , Messerli Markus , Hersberger Kurt E. , Heerdink Eibert R. , Bouvy Marcel
Published: February 2016

Background: Medication adherence is the process by which patients take their medication as prescribed and is an umbrella term that encompasses all aspects of medication use patterns. Ambiguous terminology has emerged to describe a deviation from prescribed regimen, forcing the European ABC Project to define 3 phases of medication use: initiation, implementation, and discontinuation. However, different measures of medication adherence using medication records are currently available that do not always distinguish between these phases. The literature is lacking standardization and operationalization of the assessment methods. Objective: To propose a harmonization of standards as well as definitions of distinct measures and their operationalization to quantify adherence to medication from medication records. Methods: Group discussions and consensus process among all coauthors. The propositions were generated using the authors’ experiences and views in the field of adherence, informed by theory. Results: The concepts of adherence measures within the new taxonomy were harmonized, and the standards necessary for the operationalization of adherence measures from medication records are proposed. Besides percentages and time-to values, the addition of a dichotomous value for the reinitiation of treatment is proposed. Methodological issues are listed that should be disclosed in studies on adherence. Conclusions: The possible impact of the measures in adherence research is discussed. By doing this, the results of future adherence research should gain in accuracy. Finally, studies will become more transparent, enabling comparison between studies.
A Plan-Do-Study-Act Approach to Improving Bowel Preparation Quality
Authors: Calderwood Audrey H. , Mahoney Elaine M. , Jacobson Brian C.
Published: February 2016

Up to 20% of patients presenting for colonoscopy have inadequate bowel cleanliness. In this study, the Plan-Do-Study-Act quality improvement process was used to improve bowel cleanliness among outpatients undergoing screening colonoscopy at Boston Medical Center. Rates of inadequate bowel cleanliness were assessed at baseline (April 2010 to September 2012), during several rapid-cycle experiments (October 2012 to September 2013), and through an observation phase (October 2013 to September 2015). The baseline rate of inadequate cleanliness was 9% with a target of 5%. Gap analysis identified 3 areas amenable to specific interventions: contacting patients, commitment to the procedure, and complexity and variation in instructions. Rates of inadequate cleanliness decreased to 4% at the end of the last intervention, but began rising for new reasons. Standardizing instructions and the use of navigators improved preparation quality. Bowel cleanliness is the end result of a multistep process with areas for improvement at many levels. Long-term monitoring is required to ensure ongoing success.
Assessing functional exercise capacity using telehealth: Is it valid and reliable in patients with chronic heart failure?
Authors: Hwang Rita , Mandrusiak Allison , Morris Norman R , Peters Robyn , Korczyk Dariusz , Russell Trevor
Published: February 2016

Introduction

This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of video-based telerehabilitation assessments in patients with heart failure.

Methods

Seventeen consecutive participants (mean age 69 years, SD 12 years and 88% males) undertook assessments of three functional tests via both telerehabilitation and face-to-face approaches, on the same day. The assessment order was randomised and conducted by independent assessors. Outcome measures included functional tests: timed up and go (time), six-minute walk (distance), grip strength (kilograms); system usability scale to rate participant experience with telerehabilitation assessment; and number of technical issues encountered. Validity and inter- and intra-rater reliability of telerehabilitation assessments were examined using limits of agreement, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), and paired t-tests.

Results

The limits of agreement for telerehabilitation assessments were within the clinically acceptable limits for timed up and go and grip strength. Telerehabilitation assessments for all functional tests were strongly associated with face-to-face assessments, with ICCs of between 0.85 and 0.96. Inter- and intra-rater reliability of telerehabilitation assessments for all functional tests were excellent (all ICC > 0.95). The mean (SD) system usability scale score was 85 (15)/100. Some incidences of Internet drop-outs, video freezing and auditory fading occurred.

Discussion

The use of telehealth for the assessment of functional exercise capacity appears to be valid and reliable in patients with heart failure.
The dramaturgical nexus of ethno-religious, tourist and transnational frames of pilgrimages in post-conflict societies: The Bosnian and Herzegovinian experience
Authors: Valenta Marko , Strabac Zan
Published: February 2016

This article focuses on two Catholic pilgrimages in Bosnia–Herzegovina in order to analyse the similarities and differences between them with regard to forms of religious tourism and variety of interpretations of pilgrimages. Based on ethnographic data gathered in Bosnia–Herzegovina, the discussion focuses on micro-level processes and their structural frames. Regarding the frame analysis, the article provides an analysis of the tourist, transnational and ethno-religious frames that have shaped and still affect these two pilgrimages, including how they are experienced and interpreted by local pilgrims and the local population within a context of a post-conflict society. The main focus is on pilgrims’ responses to various frames, forms of guiding and definitions of situations which they encounter during their journeys. It is maintained that pilgrims’ responses reveal different interpretations of the frames, which are combined with dynamic impression management and identity switching between roles as pilgrims, guides, tourists and (trans)nationals.
Local resignifications of transnational discourses in intercultural higher education: The case of the Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural in Mexico
Authors: Mateos Cortés Laura Selene , Dietz Gunther
Published: February 2016

Our main objective is to analyze the different ways in which people involved in the Mexican intercultural education subsystem conceive interculturality. This subsystem is still emerging and we refer to the specific case of Veracruz. We point out the discursive elements implied in the construction of definitions as well as the linguistic screens generated by actors and institutions. How are significations, translations and adaptations in intercultural education models changed when passing from a European “migrant” context to a Mexican indigenous one? Through an ethnography of intercultural discourses, we analyze the way in which Universidad Veracruzana Intercultural teachers of its campus Selvas produce alternative discourses, which are critical toward exogenous interculturality and focused on empowering local subaltern subjects.
Noise mechanisms in a transonic high-pressure turbine stage
Authors: Wang Gaofeng , Sanjose Marlène , Moreau Stéphane , Papadogiannis Dimitrios , Duchaine Florent , Gicquel Laurent
Published: February 2016

In modern ultra-high by-pass ratio turboengines, the noise contribution of both turbine stages and combustion chamber is expected to increase drastically. In the present work, both noise sources are evaluated in the realistic, fully three-dimensional transonic high-pressure turbine stage MT1 using large-eddy simulations (LES). An analysis of the basic flow field and the different turbine noise generation mechanisms is performed for two configurations: one with a steady inflow and one with an unsteady inflow, where a plane entropy wave train at a given frequency is injected at the inlet and propagates across the stage generating indirect noise. The noise is evaluated through Fourier analysis, dynamic mode decomposition of the flow field, and estimates of propagation coefficients. The steady case show three different dominant noise mechanisms: the usual stator wake brushing of the rotor blades, the several pulsating shocks in the stage and the vortex shedding. The forced results have additional tonal noise caused by the indirect noise mechanism generated by the acceleration and distortion of entropy spots. They are compared with previous two-dimensional (2D) simulations of a similar stator/rotor configuration, as well as with the compact theory. Results show that the upstream propagating entropy noise is reduced due to the choked turbine nozzle guide vane. Downstream acoustic waves are found to be of similar strength as the 2D case and larger than the blade passing frequency of the wake-interaction mechanism, highlighting the potential impact of indirect combustion noise on the overall noise signature of the engine.
Feeling Me, Feeling You
Authors: Erbas Yasemin , Sels Laura , Ceulemans Eva , Kuppens Peter
Published: February 2016

Does knowing your own emotions relate to knowing those of others? We argue that our ability to experience and label our own emotions in a differentiated and specific manner is related to the ability to accurately perceive the level of emotions in others. In an experience sampling study among romantic couples, we tested the hypothesis that individuals with higher levels of emotion differentiation are characterized by higher levels of empathic accuracy (i.e., judge others’ emotions more accurately). In line with expectations, results showed that individuals who differentiate highly between their negative emotions are more able to accurately infer how pleasant their partners are feeling across daily life. This finding establishes a link between perceptions of our own and others’ emotions and provides evidence that the skills we use to understand our own emotions are also relevant for understanding how others feel.
MRI and CT findings of isolated intracranial Rosai–Dorfman disease in a child
Authors: Alimli Ayse G , Oztunali Cigdem , Boyunaga Oznur L , Pamukcuoglu Selma , Okur Arzu , Borcek Alp O
Published: February 2016

Isolated intracranial Rosai–Dorfman disease (RDD) is extremely rare in pediatric patients. We present the case of a 22-month-old boy whom had isolated intracranial RDD involvement. To our knowledge, a parieto-occipital regional involvement without a dural tail sign has not been previously documented. Also, the mass contained hyperintense central T1 foci, and hypointense T2 and gradient echo foci; which are helpful in the differential diagnosis from meningioma. The magnetic resonance and computed tomography imaging findings are discussed and the follow-up course is presented in this paper.
Duplicated middle cerebral artery arising from the origin of the hyperplastic anterior choroidal artery that mimicked aneurysm on routine MR angiography
Authors: Uchino Akira , Ito Sayaka , Kurita Hiroki , Tanaka Masahiko
Published: February 2016

We report a case of duplicated right middle cerebral artery that arose from the origin of the right hyperplastic anterior choroidal artery diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography. To our knowledge, this is the first case of such a variation reported with magnetic resonance angiographic images. The internal carotid artery–hyperplastic anterior choroidal artery-duplicated middle cerebral artery junction was dilated and mimicking aneurysm. Partial maximum intensity projection images and volume-rendering images showed that it was not a saccular aneurysm but an infundibular dilatation. Careful observation of magnetic resonance angiographic images including its source images is important for detecting rare arterial variations. To identify an anomalous artery on magnetic resonance angiography, creation of partial maximum intensity projection images and volume-rendering images is valuable.
Emotional Intelligence, Diversity, and Organizational Performance: Linkages and Theoretical Approaches for an Emerging Field
Authors: Jada Umamaheswararao , Jena Lalatendu Kesari , Pattnaik Ranjan
Published: February 2016

Twenty-first-century organizations are expanding its business across globe to cater varied needs of society and in this process different people join such organizations from various walks of life giving rise to a diverse workforce. It is presumed that organizations having varied people with creative and problem-solving skills will create competitive advantage for organizations. However, it is pertinent to mention here that these people belong to different locations and different cultures and may have differences in values, language, behaviors, preferences, and norms which may lead to friction/complications with other people. In spite of such differences, they are expected to work as a cohesive team to achieve desired performance of the organization. However, at the same time it is observed across industries that there are certain unknown impediments which lead toward disengagement at workplace, resulting into high employee turnover, and consequent poor performance of organization. Several scholarly studies in this context have been carried out to understand and minimize the complexity based on different inferences. Many positive psychologists apprehend that understanding and appreciating the emotions of other person will give the organizations a rational upshot in terms of managing diversity at workplace. Taking their cognizance we hypothesize that if organizations are able to hire the employees with good emotional intelligence (EI) skills, it would be helpful for smooth functioning of team or else the employed personnel should be trained properly in EI to accept challenges during work force diversity. Therefore, this conceptual review is going to critically examine the behavioral patterns of workforce, organizational interventions, and leadership challenges to address them in the context of diversity at workplace.
Promoting Self-Care at School for Students With Chronic Health Needs
Authors: Cousins Sean , DeLuca Christopher
Published: February 2016

Children with chronic health needs who have the capacity for self-care have been shown to have higher academic performance and greater social inclusion. However, self-care is rarely practiced as a focal point of health services interventions outside of clinical settings. Furthermore, little is known about how self-care develops through family, health, and educational support networks as a whole and from the point of view of teachers. This study used in-depth, semistructured interviews and a demographic questionnaire to generate teachers’ perspectives on the promotion of self-care in elementary school children with diabetes, and to represent their interactions with key supporters, including health care professionals, members of children’s families, and providers of educational services. Participants were recruited based on having at least one student with diabetes who received or was receiving care through a health services program designed to facilitate self-care in the schoolchildren. The teachers were sequentially selected from a Public School District in a midsized city in New Brunswick (Canada; N = 4) and two Boards of Education in a midsized Ontario city ( N = 4). Through a thematic analysis, teachers’ perspectives on their promotion of self-care in schoolchildren with diabetes were represented through five main interconnected themes: (a) teachers’ conceptions of self-care, (b) learning about health supports, (c) communication for self-care, (d) building inclusion, and (e) a difficult but manageable endeavor. Study limitations and future research implications are discussed.
Serum periostin in obstructive airways disease
Authors: Fingleton James , Braithwaite Irene , Travers Justin , Bowles Darren , Strik Rianne , Siebers Rob , Holweg Cecile , Matthews John , Weatherall Mark , Beasley Richard
Published: February 2016

Serum periostin is a potential biomarker of response to therapies that target type 2 inflammation in asthma. The objectives of this study were to describe: 1) the distribution of serum periostin levels in adults with symptomatic airflow obstruction; 2) its relationship with other variables, including type 2 biomarkers; and 3) the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on periostin levels.

Serum periostin levels were measured in a cross-sectional study exploring phenotypes and biomarkers in 386 patients aged 18–75 years who reported wheeze and breathlessness in the past 12 months. In 49 ICS-naïve patients, periostin levels were measured again after 12 weeks of budesonide (800 μg·day−1).

The distribution of serum periostin levels was right skewed (mean±sd57.3±18.6 ng·mL−1, median (interquartile range) 54.0 (45.1–65.6) ng·mL−1, range 15.0–164.7 ng·mL−1). Periostin was positively associated with exhaled nitric oxide (Spearman's rho=0.22, p<0.001), blood eosinophil count (Spearman's rho=0.21, p<0.001), and total IgE (Spearman's rho=0.14, p=0.007). The Hodges–Lehmann estimator (95% CI) of change in periostin level after ICS therapy was −4.8 (−6.7– −3.2) ng·mL−1(p<0.001).

These findings provide data on the distribution of serum periostin in adults with symptomatic airflow obstruction, the weak associations between periostin and other type 2 markers, and the reduction in periostin with inhaled corticosteroid therapy.
Decisional conflict in patients considering diagnostic thyroidectomy with indeterminate fine needle aspirate cytopathology
Authors: Taylor Benjamin A. , Hart Robert D. , Rigby Matthew H. , Trites Jonathan , Taylor S. Mark , Hong Paul
Published: February 2016

Background

Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytopathology is the gold standard work-up for thyroid nodules. However, indeterminate lesions are encountered commonly and can lead to difficult treatment decisions. We sought to determine whether patients experienced decisional conflict surrounding management with diagnostic thyroidectomy in the setting of indeterminate FNA results.

Methods

Patients with indeterminate results of thyroid nodule FNA were prospectively enrolled. All consultations were carried out by three otolaryngologists in a consistent manner. After consultation, participants completed a demographics form and the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) questionnaire.

Results

Thirty-five patients (28 female) between the ages of 30 and 88 years (mean age 54.89) participated. The median total DCS score was 10.94 (interquartile range, 4.69–25.0). Twelve patients (34 %) scored at or above 25 on the DCS, indicating clinically significant level of decisional conflict. Patients reported feeling significantly more confident about their decision after the surgical consultation compared to before the consultation ( p = 0.00). The total DCS score was significantly negatively correlated with self-reported confidence after the consultation ( r = −0.421, p = 0.012).

Conclusion

Many patients experienced clinically significant decisional conflict when considering thyroidectomy for management of a thyroid nodule with indeterminate cytopathology. Future research should be directed at developing decision support tools for this patient group, and exploring the impact of decisional conflict on health outcomes.
Regional assessment of the Eagle Ford Group of South Texas, USA: Insights from lithology, pore volume, water saturation, organic richness, and productivity correlations
Authors: Hammes Ursula , Eastwood Ray , McDaid Guin , Vankov Emilian , Gherabati S. Amin , Smye Katie , Shultz James , Potter Eric , Ikonnikova Svetlana , Tinker Scott
Published: February 2016

A comprehensive regional investigation of the Eagle Ford Shale linking productivity to porosity-thickness (PHIH), lithology ([Formula: see text]), pore volume (PHIT), organic matter (TOC), and water-saturation ([Formula: see text]) variations has not been presented to date. Therefore, isopach maps across the Eagle Ford Shale play west of the San Marcos Arch were constructed using thickness and log-calculated attributes such as TOC, [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], and porosity to identify sweet spots and spatial distribution of these geologic characteristics that influence productivity in shale plays. The Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas is an organic-rich, calcareous mudrock deposited during a second-order transgression of global sea level on a carbonate-dominated shelf updip from the older Sligo and Edwards (Stuart City) reef margins. Lithology and organic-matter deposition were controlled by fluvial input from the Woodbine delta in the northeast, upwelling along the Cretaceous shelf edge, and volcanic and clastic input from distant Laramide events to the north and west. Local oxygen minimum events along the South Texas margin contributed to the preservation of this organic-rich source rock related to the Cenomanian/Turonian global organic anoxic event (OAE2). Paleogeographic and deep-seated tectonic elements controlled the variations of lithology, amount and distribution of organic matter, and facies that have a profound impact on production quality. Petrophysical modeling was conducted to calculate total organic carbon, water saturation, lithology, and porosity of the Eagle Ford Group. Thickness maps, as well as PHIH maps, show multiple sweet spots across the study area. Components of the database were used as variables in kriging, and multivariate statistical analyses evaluated the impact of these variables on productivity. For example, TOC and clay volume ([Formula: see text]) show an inverse relationship that is related to production. Mapping petrophysical parameters across a play serves as a tool to predict geologic drivers of productivity across the Eagle Ford taking the geologic heterogeneity into account.
Characterization of Ovarian Responses to Equine Chorionic Gonadotropin of Aromatase-Deficient Mice With or Without 17β-Estradiol Supplementation
Authors: Toda Katsumi , Hayashi Yoshihiro , Ono Masafumi , Saibara Toshiji
Published: February 2016

Aromatase is an enzyme catalyzing the final step of 17β-estradiol (E2) biosynthesis. Aromatase-deficient (ArKO) mice displayed vital roles of E2 at various tissue sites, including ovary. Here, we report attenuated responses of ArKO ovary to equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG), an alternative to FSH. Ovarian contents of cAMP and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH), putative factors reducing sensitivity to gonadotropins, were significantly elevated in ArKO mice compared with those in wild type (WT) mice in the basal state. Accordingly, eCG-induced ovarian alterations in cAMP contents, phosphorylation levels of signaling molecules, and mRNA expression of eCG-targeted genes were blunted in ArKO mice compared with those in WT mice. Treatment of ArKO mice with E2 decreased ovarian cAMP and AMH contents to the WT levels but did not restore the sensitivity. Microarray analysis coupled with quantitative RT-PCR analysis identified 7 genes of which the mRNA expression levels in ArKO ovaries were significantly different from those in the WT ovaries in the basal state and were not normalized by E2 supplementation, indicating possible involvement of these gene products in the determination of ovarian sensitivity to eCG. Thus, present analyses revealed that estrogen deficiency attenuates sensitivity of the ovary to gonadotropin, which might be associated with alterations in the ovarian contents of multiple molecules including cAMP and AMH. Given the importance of the ovarian responses to gonadotropins in reproductive function, detailed knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of abnormalities in the ArKO ovary might help to develop potential targets for infertility treatments.
Statin (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor)-based therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection-related diseases in the era of direct-acting antiviral agents
Authors: Kishta Sara Sobhy , El-Shenawy Reem , Kishta Sobhy Ahmed
Published: February 2016

Recent improvements have been made in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). However, despite successful viral clearance, many patients continue to have HCV-related disease progression. Therefore, new treatments must be developed to achieve viral clearance and prevent the risk of HCV-related diseases. In particular, the use of pitavastatin together with DAAs may improve the antiviral efficacy as well as decrease the progression of liver fibrosis and the incidence of HCV-related hepatocellular carcinoma. To investigate the management methods for HCV-related diseases using pitavastatin and DAAs, clinical trials should be undertaken. However, concerns have been raised about potential drug interactions between statins and DAAs. Therefore, pre-clinical trials using a replicon system and human hepatocyte-like cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells should be conducted. Based on these pre-clinical trials, an optimal direct-acting antiviral agent could be selected for combination with pitavastatin and DAAs. Following the pre-clinical trial, the combination of pitavastatin and the optimal direct-acting antiviral agent should be compared to other combinations of DAAs (e.g., sofosbuvir and velpatasvir) according to the antiviral effect on HCV infection, HCV-related diseases and cost-effectiveness.
Progressive radiolucent lines following the implantation of the cemented Rimfit acetabular component in total hip arthroplasty using the rimcutter technique
Authors: Baker P. , Rankin K. , Naisby S. , Agni N. , Brewster N. , Holland J.
Published: February 2016

Aims

The highly cross-linked polyethylene Exeter RimFit flanged cemented acetabular component was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2010. This study aimed to examine the rates of emergence of radiolucent lines observed when the Rimfit acetabular component was implanted at total hip arthroplasty (THA) using two different techniques: firstly, the ‘rimcutter’ technique in which the flange sits on a pre-prepared acetabular rim; and secondly, the ‘trimmed flange’ technique in which the flange is trimmed and the acetabular component is seated inside the rim of the acetabulum.

Patients and Methods

The radiographs of 150 THAs (75 ‘rimcutter’, 75 ‘trimmed flange’) involving this component were evaluated to assess for radiolucencies at the cement/bone interface by three observers.

Results

Rimfit acetabular components implanted using the rimcutter technique had significantly higher rates of radiolucency than those introduced using the ‘trimmed flange’ technique one year post-operatively (one zone: 63/75 (84%) vs 17/75 (23%); two zones 42/75 (56%) vs 0/75 (0%); all three zones 17/75 (23%) vs 0/75 (0%):(all p < 0.001).

Conclusion

On the basis of these findings, we have stopped using the ‘rimcutter’ technique when implanting the Rimfit acetabular component and have reverted to the ‘trimmed flange’ technique. Take home message: Surgeons should be vigilant of the performance of the Rimfit acetabular component when used alongside the rim cutter device due to an observed higher rate of progressive radiolucencies with this combination of component / technique. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:313–19.
Short fusion strategy for thoracolumbar and lumbar adolescent idiopathic scoliosis using anterior dual-rod instrumentation.
Authors: Sudo H. , Kaneda K. , Shono Y. , Iwasaki N.
Published: February 2016

Aims

A total of 30 patients with thoracolumbar/lumbar adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) treated between 1989 and 2000 with anterior correction and fusion surgery using dual-rod instrumentation were reviewed.

Patients and Methods

Radiographic parameters and clinical outcomes were compared among patients with lowest instrumented vertebra (LIV) at the lower end vertebra (LEV; EV group) (n = 13) and those treated by short fusion (S group), with LIV one level proximal to EV (n = 17 patients).

Results

The allocation of the surgical technique was determined by the flexibility of the TL/L curves and/or neutral vertebrae located one level above LEV as determined on preoperative radiographs. If these requirements were met a short fusion was performed. The mean follow-up period was 21.4 years (16 to 27). The mean correction rate at final follow-up was significantly lower in the S group (74 sd 11%) than in the EV group (88 sd 13%) (p = 0.004).Coronal and sagittal balance, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, and clinical outcomes evaluated by the Scoliosis Research Society-22 questionnaire scores were equivalent between the two groups.

Conclusion

Short fusion strategy, which uses LIV one level proximal to LEV can be considered as an alternative to the conventional strategy, which includes LEV in the fusion, when highly flexible TL/L curves are confirmed and/or neutral vertebrae are located one level above LEV in patients with thoracolumbar/lumbar AIS curves. Take home message: Short fusion strategy can be considered as an alternative to the conventional strategy in patients with thoracolumbar/lumbar AIS curves undergoing anterior spinal fusion with dual-rod instrumentation. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:402–9.
The impact of patient and surgical factors on the rate of infection after primary total knee arthroplasty
Authors: Tayton E. R. , Frampton C. , Hooper G. J. , Young S. W.
Published: February 2016

Aims

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Patients and Methods

The New Zealand Joint Registry database was analysed, using revision surgery for PJI at six and 12 months after surgery as primary outcome measures. Statistical associations between revision for infection, with common and definable surgical and patient factors were tested.

Results

A total of 64 566 primary TKAs have been recorded on the registry between 1999 and 2012 with minimum follow-up of 12 months. Multivariate analysis showed statistically significant associations with revision for PJI between male gender (odds ratio (OR) 1.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24 to 2.74), previous surgery (osteotomy (OR 2.45 95% CI 1.2 to 5.03), ligament reconstruction (OR 1.85, 95% CI 0.68 to 5.00)), the use of laminar flow (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.04 to 2.47) and the use of antibiotic-laden cement (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.13). There was a trend towards significance (p = 0.052) with the use of surgical helmet systems at six months (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.34).

Conclusion

These findings show that patient factors remain the most important in terms of predicting early PJI following TKA. Furthermore, we found no evidence that modern surgical helmet systems reduce the risk of PJI and laminar flow systems may actually increase risk in TKA. The use of this registry data assists the estimation of the risk of PJI for individual patients, which is important for both informed consent and the interpretation of infection rates at different institutions. Take home message: Infection rates in TKA are related to both individual patient and surgical factors, and some modern methods of reducing infection may actually increase infection risk. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:334–40.