bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A retrospective review of fall risk factors in the bone marrow transplant inpatient service
Authors: Vela Cory M , Grate Lisa M , McBride Ali , Devine Steven , Andritsos Leslie A
Published: March 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare medications and potential risk factors between patients who experienced a fall during hospitalization compared to those who did not fall while admitted to the Blood and Marrow Transplant inpatient setting at The James Cancer Hospital. Secondary objectives included evaluation of transplant-related disease states and medications in the post-transplant setting that may lead to an increased risk of falls, post-fall variables, and number of tests ordered after a fall.

Methods

This retrospective, case-control study matched patients in a 2:1 ratio of nonfallers to fallers. Data from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) reported fall events and patient electronic medical records were utilized. A total of 168 adult Blood and Marrow Transplant inpatients with a hematological malignancy diagnosis were evaluated from 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2012.

Results

Univariable and multivariable conditional logistic regression models were used to assess the relationship between potential predictor variables of interest and falls. Variables that were found to be significant predictors of falls from the univariable models include age group, incontinence, benzodiazepines, corticosteroids, anticonvulsants and antidepressants, and number of days status-post transplant. When considered for a multivariable model age group, corticosteroids, and a cancer diagnosis of leukemia were significant in the final model.

Conclusion

Recent medication utilization such as benzodiazepines, anticonvulsants, corticosteroids, and antidepressants placed patients at a higher risk of experiencing a fall. Other significant factors identified from a multivariable analysis found were patients older than age 65, patients with recent corticosteroid administration and a cancer diagnosis of leukemia.
Continuous Aspirin Use Does Not Increase Bleeding Risk of Split-Thickness Skin Transplantation Repair to Chronic Wounds
Authors: Sun Yanwei , Wang Yibing , Li Liang , Zhang Zheng , Wang Ning , Wu Dan
Published: March 2017

Background:

Discontinuation of aspirin therapy before cutaneous surgery may cause serious complications.

Objectives:

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the bleeding risk of split-thickness skin transplantation repair to chronic wounds in patients on aspirin therapy.

Methods:

A total of 97 patients who underwent split-thickness skin transplantation surgery of chronic wounds during a 2-year period were enrolled. They were categorized on the basis of aspirin therapies. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding and bleeding complications. Univariate analysis was performed to examine the association between aspirin and bleeding complications. Among the 26 patients taking aspirin continuously in group A, there were 5 bleeding complications (19.23%). Among the 55 nonusers in group B, there were 10 bleeding complications (18.18%). Among the 16 discontinuous patients in group C, there were 3 bleeding complications (18.75%). No statistical differences were found among the groups ( P = .956). Univariate analysis showed that continuous aspirin use was not significantly associated with bleeding complications (odds ratio, 0.933; 95% confidence interval, 0.283-3.074; P = .910 in the aspirin and control groups) and that discontinuous aspirin use was not significantly associated with bleeding complications (odds ratio, 0.963; 95% confidence interval, 0.230-4.025; P = .959 in the aspirin and control groups; odds ratio, 0.969; 95% confidence interval, 0.198-4.752; P = .969 in the aspirin and discontinuous groups).

Conclusions:

Continuous aspirin use does not produce an additional bleeding risk in patients who undergo split-thickness skin transplantation repair of chronic wounds.
Autism in International Relations: A critical assessment of International Relations’ autism metaphors
Authors: Christian Stephen Michael
Published: March 2017

In this article, I explain how International Relations scholarship relates to ableism. Ableism is a sociopolitical system of narratives, institutions, and actions collectively reinforcing an ideology that benefits persons deemed able-bodied, able-minded, and normal by others, and devalues, limits, and discriminates against those deemed physically and/or mentally disabled and abnormal. International Relations scholars have been quick to utilize disability metaphors as rhetorical support for their arguments and analyses. This article discusses how metaphors in general — and disability metaphors in particular — get their meaning from various other discourses and narratives. International Relations scholars, in the case of disability metaphors, often draw from discourses and narratives that perpetuate ableism. I demonstrate how disability metaphors can be ableist by researching how several International Relations foreign policy analysts and theorists have applied autism metaphors. I argue that International Relations’ uses of autism metaphors are ableist insomuch as they shape or reinforce understandings of autism that often oversimplify, overgeneralize, or otherwise misrepresent autism and Autistic people in ways that portray autism negatively. In the conclusion, I reflect on the importance of a disability studies program in International Relations and the broad set of topics that such a program should pursue.
Sex differences in utilization and outcomes of catheter-directed thrombolysis in patients with proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis – Insights from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample
Authors: Lakhter Vladimir , Zack Chad J , Brailovsky Yevgeniy , Chatterjee Saurav , Aggarwal Vikas , Rao Koneti A , Crabbe Deborah , Zhao Huaqing , Choi Eric , Kolluri Raghu , Bashir Riyaz
Published: March 2017

Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is being increasingly used for the treatment of proximal lower extremity (LE) deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, sex differences in utilization and safety outcomes of CDT in these patients are unknown. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was used to identify all patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of proximal LE or caval DVT who underwent CDT between January 2005 and December 2011 in the United States. We evaluated the comparative safety outcomes of CDT among a propensity-matched group of 1731 men versus 1731 women. Among 108,243 patients with proximal LE or caval DVT, 4826 patients (4.5%) underwent CDT. Overall, women underwent CDT less often compared to men (4.1% vs 4.9%, p<0.01, respectively). The rates of CDT increased between 2005 and 2011 for both women (2.1% to 5.9%, p<0.01) and men (2.5% to 7.5%, p<0.01). There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (1.2% vs 1.3%, p=0.76). Women were noted to have higher rates of blood transfusions (11.7% vs 8.8%, p<0.01), but lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage (0.5% vs 1.2%, p=0.03) and gastrointestinal bleeding (0.9% vs 2.2%, p<0.01) compared with men. Women were more likely to undergo inferior vena cava filter placement (37.0% vs 32.1%, p<0.01). In this large nationwide cohort, women with proximal DVT were less likely to receive CDT compared to men. Although mortality rates were similar, women were noted to have higher blood transfusion rates while men had more episodes of intracranial and gastrointestinal bleeding.
Bois and grrrls meet their daddies and mommies on gender playgrounds: Gendered age play in the les-bi-trans-queer BDSM communities
Authors: Bauer Robin
Published: March 2017

Based on a qualitative empirical study of les-bi-trans-queer BDSM in the USA and Europe, this article discusses sexual practices that explore the significance of age, gender and sexuality and their simultaneous workings to produce desires, embodiments, identities, intimacies and kinships that transgress and partially transform heteronormative social concepts. Queer ‘age play’ and ‘intergenerational play’ practices involved processes of becoming-child in the Deleuzian sense, renegotiating masculinity and femininity in relation to age, power and sexist stereotypes, as well as compensation for queer- and gender-related limitations experienced in one’s own childhood.
Framing mass surveillance: Analyzing New Zealand’s media coverage of the early Snowden files
Authors: Kuehn Kathleen M
Published: March 2017

This research investigates how New Zealand media framed the mass surveillance debates in the immediate months following the June 2013 Snowden revelations up to the passage of the Government Communications and Security Bureau Amendment Bill 2013. A media framing analysis of news stories from two commercial newspapers and the national public broadcaster in New Zealand (N = 156) revealed frames of lawfulness, conflict, and democratic values dominated coverage; public radio drew upon one additional frame, Edward Snowden the individual. A comparative analysis reveals the commercial newspapers’ reliance on episodic frames opposed to public media’s thematic framing, yet coverage across both samples was overwhelmingly negative. Both samples also privileged official government and foreign media sources. Together, these strategies worked to distance citizens from the surveillance debate by framing it as a political – rather than a civic – issue to be resolved by government leaders. The media’s inability to build a consensus around the surveillance debate and engage citizen voices may at least partially explain the lack of coordinated public resistance against subsequent surveillance policy reforms that effectively expanded New Zealand’s intelligence community’s spy powers.
miR-205 mediates the inhibition of cervical cancer cell proliferation using olmesartan
Authors: Yue Zhang , Yun-shan Zhang , Feng-xia Xue
Published: March 2017

Objective:

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system has become known as a prerequisite for tumor angiogenesis that is now recognized as a crucial step in the development of tumors, including cervical cancer. The Ang II-AT1R pathway is known to play an important role in tumor angiogenesis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, regulating RNAs that participate in tumor genesis, differentiation and proliferation. The current study focused on the anti-tumor mechanism of olmesartan, a novel angiotensin II antagonist, on cervical cancer cells.

Materials and methods:

qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to demonstrate the effect of olmesartan on miR-205 and VEGF-A expression. miR-205 mimics and VEGF-A shRNA plasmid were separately transfected into HeLa and Siha cells to further validate the function of miR-205 and VEGF-A in cervical cancer cell proliferation.

Results:

It was found that olmesartan could upregulate miR-205 and inhibit VEGF-A expression in HeLa and Siha cells. In addition, VEGF-A was proven to be a target gene of miR-205.

Conclusion:

This result provides a new idea on the anti-tumor mechanism of olmesartan, which may be used as a novel therapeutic target of cervical cancer.
The Dementia Care Coordination Program: Engaging Health Systems in Caregiver Supports
Authors: Nadash Pamela , Silverstein Nina M , Porell Frank
Published: March 2017

This paper reports on a process evaluation using mixed methods to assess a Dementia Care Coordination Program, which is distinctive in using the medical system, rather than direct outreach, to identify and refer families to supports provided by an Alzheimer’s Association chapter via dedicated care consultants. One care consultant received referrals from individual physicians, while the other, employed by a health plan, received referrals from health plan case managers. Through key informant interviews, focus groups, and physician and caregiver surveys, we identified key issues, finding high rates of stakeholder satisfaction, but some practical issues around information sharing and data tracking. We further found the health plan model of collaboration to offer significant potential for the systematic and early detection of potential clients, provided investments in minor systems change. The Dementia Care Coordination Program, therefore, represents a minimalist model of dementia-specific support, which could be further supplemented via more focused outreach and education.
Case Management for People with Dementia and its Translations: A Discussion Paper
Authors: Iliffe Steve , Wilcock Jane , Synek Michal , Carboch Radek , Hradcová Dana , Holmerová Iva
Published: March 2017

Case management is generally seen as a way to provide efficient, cost-saving person-centred care for people with dementia by connecting together fragmented services, but the available evidence in favour of its merits is often considered inconclusive, unclear and sketchy. This discussion paper investigates the evidence of the benefit of case management for people with dementia and explores the complexity of the concept and the experiences of its implementation. It offers a comprehensive framework for conceptualising various types of case management and asks the question: who can be a case manager? Building on examples from three European countries it addresses the problem of the expansion and adoption of the case management method. It compares the conventional model of diffusion of innovation with the ideas of interessement and co-constitution and envisions a successful model of case management as a fluid technology that is both friendly and flexible, allowing it to adapt to different settings and systems.
The Testing Effect in the Psychology Classroom: A Meta-Analytic Perspective
Authors: Schwieren Juliane , Barenberg Jonathan , Dutke Stephan
Published: March 2017

The testing effect is a robust empirical finding in the research on learning and instruction, demonstrating that taking tests during the learning phase facilitates later retrieval from long-term memory. Early evidence came mainly from laboratory studies, though in recent years applied educational researchers have become increasingly interested in the effects of retrieval practice. We investigated the extent that the testing effect can also be observed and effectively used in psychology classes. Inspection of the research literature yielded 19 publications that tested the effect in the context of learning and teaching psychology. A total of 72 effect sizes were extracted from these publications and subjected to a meta-analysis. A significant overall effect size of d = 0.56 demonstrated that testing was beneficial to the learning outcomes. Further analyses focussed on the role of potential moderator variables, a possible publication bias, and the dependency between effect sizes. The results are discussed in the context of applications in learning and teaching psychology.
Full Cost-of-Attendance Scholarships and College Choice
Authors: Bradbury John Charles , Pitts Joshua D.
Published: March 2017

In 2015, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I schools were permitted to cover the “full cost of attendance” as a part of athletic scholarships for the first time, which allowed schools to provide modest living stipends to its athletes. Differences in cost-of-attendance allotments across schools have the potential to affect the allocation of talent, with higher stipends attracting better student-athletes. Using recently published cost-of-attendance data, we estimate the impact of cost-of-attendance allowances on college football recruiting. Estimates reveal that cost-of-attendance scholarship allowances were positively associated with football recruiting quality immediately following their implementation, indicating that the modest differences in stipends swayed student-athletes’ college choice.
Estimating Dementia and Receipt of Informal Care Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Data
Authors: Adams Mary
Published: March 2017

Introduction:

Estimates of US adults with dementia differ widely and don’t distinguish adults living in the community.

Methods:

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data from 120 485 households in 21 states that used a cognitive decline module in 2011 were used. Data for both respondents and other adults with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) were included through proxy responses. Using responses to questions about the receipt of informal care for their SCD and diagnosed dementia, estimates were made for each state.

Results:

Overall, 2.9% (range: 1.5% in Tennessee to 5.3% in Arkansas) of all noninstitutionalized adults in these states received informal care for their SCD and 0.9% (range: 0.5% in Tennessee to 2.0% in Arkansas) were estimated to have dementia. Limiting results to respondents reduced estimates significantly.

Discussion:

Combined results for respondents and nonrespondents from a representative telephone survey provide varying estimates of SCD-related measures across states, highlighting the need for state-specific estimates.
Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Efficacy and Safety
Authors: Vidale Simone , Agostoni Elio
Published: March 2017

Background:

Recent randomized trials demonstrated the superiority of the mechanical thrombectomy over the best medical treatment in patients with acute ischemic stroke due to an occlusion of arteries of proximal anterior circulation. In this updated meta-analysis, we aimed to summarize the total clinical effects of the treatment, including the last trials.

Methods:

We performed literature search of Randomized Crontrolled Trials (RCTs) published between 2010 and October 2016, comparing endovenous thrombolysis plus mechanical thrombectomy (intervention group) with best medical care alone (control group). We identified 8 trials. Primary outcomes were reduced disability at 90 days from the event and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Statistical analysis was performed pooling data into the 2 groups, evaluating outcome heterogeneity. The Mantel-Haenszel method was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs).

Results:

We analyzed data for 1845 patients (interventional group: 911; control group: 934). Mechanical thrombectomy contributed to a significant reduction in disability rate compared to the best medical treatment alone (OR: 2.087; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.718-2.535; P < .001). We calculated that for every 100 treated patients, 16 more participants have a good outcome as a result of mechanical treatment. No significant differences between groups were observed concerning the occurrence of symptomatic hemorrhage (OR: 1.021; 95% CI: 0.641-1.629; P = .739).

Conclusion:

Mechanical thrombectomy contributes to significantly increase the functional benefit of endovenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischemic stroke caused by arterial occlusion of proximal anterior circulation, without reduction in safety. These findings are relevant for the optimization of the acute stroke management, including the implementation of networks between stroke centers.
A Novel Method for the Treatment of Bilateral Hypogastric Aneurysms Using Hybrid Polytetrafluoroethylene Graft
Authors: Tyagi Sam , Pineda D. , Zheng H. , Dougherty M. , Calligaro K. , Troutman D.
Published: March 2017

Open aortic aneurysm repair in the setting of bilateral hypogastric aneurysms is technically challenging. We present a novel technique for open surgical repair for bilateral hypogastric aneurysms using the Gore hybrid vascular graft (GVHG; W. L. Gore and Associates Inc, Flagstaff, Arizona). The GVHG is an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene graft with a nitinol stent at 1 end designed for hemodialysis access. The GVHG has been also been used for aortic debranching and treatment of occlusive disease. We describe the first report using GVHG to repair hypogastric aneurysms.
“It Feels Good to Know That Someone Cares”:
Authors: Nguyen Annie L. , Sepulveda Enedina , Angulo Marco
Published: March 2017

Introduction:

Diabetes is the leading cause of death in Hispanic communities. Self-management is an important part of diabetes care, and diabetes self-management education (DSME) aims to teach the skills necessary for preventing and delaying complication. However, DSME is underutilized. The purpose of this study was to explore Hispanic adults’ motivations for attending a DSME class to identify effective strategies for promoting class participation and retention.

Method:

Nineteen adults participated in seven focus groups conducted in Spanish. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated. Transcripts were content coded by two coders to create a thematic coding scheme.

Results:

Five main themes emerged as motivations for attendance: (1) frustration with physiological changes, (2) desire to “do better” because of family experience with death/complications from diabetes, (3) free access to information that is unattainable elsewhere, (3) a way to take control, and (4) group setting offered valued emotional and informational support as well as peer support for those who were uncomfortable discussing diabetes with family or lived with family who do not support lifestyle changes.

Conclusions:

Gaining diabetes self-management knowledge only partly explains the perceived value of classes. Culturally relevant content and appealing to the social supportive aspects of groups may encourage participation.
Performance of a low-power wide-area network based on LoRa technology: Doppler robustness, scalability, and coverage
Authors: Petäjäjärvi Juha , Mikhaylov Konstantin , Pettissalo Marko , Janhunen Janne , Iinatti Jari
Published: March 2017

The article provides an analysis and reports experimental validation of the various performance metrics of the LoRa low-power wide-area network technology. The LoRa modulation is based on chirp spread spectrum, which enables use of low-quality oscillators in the end device, and to make the synchronization faster and more reliable. Moreover, LoRa technology provides over 150 dB link budget, providing good coverage. Therefore, LoRa seems to be quite a promising option for implementing communication in many diverse Internet of Things applications. In this article, we first briefly overview the specifics of the LoRa technology and analyze the scalability of the LoRa wide-area network. Then, we introduce setups of the performance measurements. The results show that using the transmit power of 14 dBm and the highest spreading factor of 12, more than 60% of the packets are received from the distance of 30 km on water. With the same configuration, we measured the performance of LoRa communication in mobile scenarios. The presented results reveal that at around 40 km/h, the communication performance gets worse, because duration of the LoRa-modulated symbol exceeds coherence time. However, it is expected that communication link is more reliable when lower spreading factors are used.
Translating healthcare innovation from academia to industry
Authors: Sanami Mohammad , Flood Tim , Hall Richard , Kingscott Fiona , Jayne David , Culmer Peter
Published: March 2017

Innovation lies at the heart of academia, and universities generate high-quality, intellectual property on a large scale. However, commercial translation of this intellectual property has traditionally been poor, particularly in the critical healthcare sector. It is critical that this situation is addressed to ensure that innovation from research institutes can fulfil its potential and progress to have a genuine impact on the outside world. In this article, we consider the nature of healthcare innovation in academia and ways in which commercial translation of intellectual property can be successfully realised. This is first analysed from an academic perspective, with a particular focus on how academic motivations and work practices can shape successful translation. We then switch perspective to examine the same process from an industry perspective, looking at the characteristics and expectations involved in the innovation life cycle. To place these analyses in context, we present a case study examining a project being undertaken to commercialise a novel surgical instrument, the intra-abdominal platform, from identification of clinical need, through the development life cycle, to commercialisation of the system. We reflect on the successes and challenges encountered during the intra-abdominal platform project, the broader lessons learned and in conclusion use these to emphasise how academia can adopt practices to better translate intellectual property in the future.
Flood fragility analysis for bridges with multiple failure modes
Authors: Kim Hyunjun , Sim Sung-Han , Lee Jaebeom , Lee Young-Joo , Kim Jin-Man
Published: March 2017

Bridges are one of the most important infrastructure systems that provide public and economic bases for humankind. It is also widely known that bridges are exposed to a variety of flood-related risk factors such as bridge scour, structural deterioration, and debris accumulation, which can cause structural damage and even failure of bridges through a variety of failure modes. However, flood fragility has not received as much attention as seismic fragility despite the significant amount of damage and costs resulting from flood hazards. There have been few research efforts to estimate the flood fragility of bridges considering various flood-related factors and the corresponding failure modes. Therefore, this study proposes a new approach for bridge flood fragility analysis. To obtain accurate flood fragility estimates, reliability analysis is performed in conjunction with finite element analysis, which can sophisticatedly simulate the structural response of a bridge under a flood by accounting for flood-related risk factors. The proposed approach is applied to a numerical example of an actual bridge in Korea. Flood fragility curves accounting for multiple failure modes, including lack of pier ductility or pile ductility, pier rebar rupture, pile rupture, and deck loss, are derived and presented in this study.
Exploring Australian journalism discursive practices in reporting rape: The pitiful predator and the silent victim
Authors: Breen Michelle Dunne , Easteal Patricia , Holland Kate , Sutherland Georgina , Vaughan Cathy
Published: March 2017

This article draws on the qualitative research component of a mixed-methods project exploring the Australian news media’s representation of violence against women. This critical discourse analysis is on print and online news reporting of the case of ‘Kings Cross Nightclub Rapist Luke Lazarus’, who in March 2015 was tried and convicted of raping a female club-goer in a laneway behind his father’s nightclub in Sydney, Australia. We explore the journalism discursive practices employed in the production of the news reports about the Lazarus trial. Our analysis shows how some lexical features, quoting strategies and structuring elements serve to minimise the victim’s experience while emphasising the adverse effects of the trial on the accused. Furthermore, we demonstrate how such practices allow for the graphic representation of the attack in a salacious manner while minimising the impact of the crime on the victim by selectively referencing her victim impact statement. We found some differences between print and online news stories about this case, some of which may be attributable to the greater space available to the telling of news stories online. We conclude that in news reporting of the Lazarus case, routine journalism discursive practices, such as the inverted pyramid news-writing structure and decisions about who and what to quote, serve simultaneously to diminish the victim’s experience while objectifying her. These results build on international findings about media reporting practices in relation to violence against women and add substantially to what we know about these practices in Australia.
“. . . In the Beginning I Was Frightened, Because Jews and Arabs Were Living Together . . . but Now I Don’t Feel That There Are Jews and Arabs . . .”: Palestinian Families in Israel Migrating in Search of Work
Authors: Meler Tal
Published: March 2017

Internal migration tendencies among Palestinian in Israel are limited by both internal and external barriers. Recently, however, it appears that many Palestinian families have migrated from the north of Israel southward to Beersheba in search of work. This article is based on qualitative research I conducted among Palestinian women in Israel who moved south because of economic and occupational hardship. These women find themselves tending to their households while living far from their families of origin and those of their husbands, confronting and adjusting to their new environment and coping with life in a “city of difference” in Jewish space and among the Arab-Bedouin population at work. Internal migration affects many areas of life, extending beyond the personal and family sphere to challenge the politics of expanse in Israel, which is grounded in segregative and exclusionary principles and blurs accepted lines in the Israeli educational system. This situation generates space for new dialogue, or alternatively delineates lines of separation and structures new urban and cultural segmentation processes. The article sheds light on the complexity of the nationalist-ethnic triangle that takes shape in cities and clarifies the women’s experiences as they cross spatial and national borders—an unusual experience in Israeli life.
Does the inclusion of spinal manipulative therapy in multimodal treatment regimens result in better outcomes in chronic low back pain? A systematic review
Authors: Akindele-Agbeja Oyinade , Mbada Chidozie Emmanuel , Egwu Michael Ogbonnia
Published: March 2017

Low back pain (LBP) is the most common musculoskeletal disorder. It is costly, both health wise and socioeconomically. Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) is a popular and well researched conservative management of chronic LBP. However, little is known about its role cum effectiveness as part of multimodal treatment regimens. The aim of this systematic review is to examine the evidence of the effectiveness of SMT as part of a multimodal regimen in the management of chronic LBP. Eligible studies were identified by searching Medline, Embase, PEDro, CINAHL, AMED, and the Cochrane Central Register of controlled trials. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on patients with chronic mechanical LBP were considered. Data from four RCTs (430 participants) were included in this review. All four had a low risk of bias. Three studies found a statistically significant improvement in pain and function at both short term and long term in the group that received SMT as part of a multimodal treatment regimen. Heterogeneity in the nature of the interventions that made up the treatment regimen, comparison interventions, duration of treatment and follow-up periods were identified. There is moderate quality evidence that the addition of SMT to multimodal treatment regimens for chronic LBP results in better outcomes in terms of pain and function as compared to other conservative interventions.
First‐in‐child use of the oral selective prostacyclin IP receptor agonist selexipag in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Geerdink Lianne M. , Bertram Harald , Hansmann Georg
Published: March 2017

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a complex disease with a poor prognosis. Selexipag is a selective prostacyclin receptor agonist with vasodilatory, anti‐proliferative, anti‐inflammatory, and pro‐angiogenic properties. However, no clinical data on its therapeutic use in children with PAH are currently available. Here, we report the case of a 12‐year‐old girl who presented in World Health Organization (WHO) functional class III and right ventricular (RV) failure with recurrent syncope, dizziness, and progressive fatigue for two years. Cardiac catheterization revealed severe precapillary PAH: mean right atrial pressure (RAP) = 10–13 mmHg, right ventricular end‐diastolic pressure (RVEDP) = 13 mmHg, left ventricular end‐diastolic pressure (LVEDP) = 7 mmHg, mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) = 81 mmHg, and mean aorta ascendens pressure = 89 mmHg. The pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRi) was 25.2 WU × m2. An oral combination therapy was started with a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (sildenafil 3 × 20 mg) and an endothelin‐1 receptor antagonist (bosentan 2 × 62.5 mg). No significant clinical/hemodynamic improvement was seen after nine months of dual therapy, so that the patient was transferred to our institution. We agreed upon the off‐label add‐on use of oral selexipag. Within ten days, we up‐titrated selexipag to a final (max. adult) dose of 1600 mcg twice daily. After six months, the patient had: (1) decrease in PVR index, pulmonary artery acceleration time, RAP, RVEDP, right atrial/RV size; (2) re‐gain of vasoreactivity; and (3) improvement of cardiac index, 6‐minute walking distance, functional class, body weight, and CAMPHOR score. Our encouraging results suggest the consideration of off‐label use of oral selexipag in children with severe PAH, preferably in a protocol‐driven prospective study.
Performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy: a European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) quality improvement initiative
Authors: Kaminski Michal F , Thomas‐Gibson Siwan , Bugajski Marek , Bretthauer Michael , Rees Colin J , Dekker Evelien , Hoff Geir , Jover Rodrigo , Suchanek Stepan , Ferlitsch Monika , Anderson John , Roesch Thomas , Hultcranz Rolf , Racz Istvan , Kuipers Ernst J , Garborg Kjetil , East James E , Rupinski Maciej , Seip Birgitte , Bennett Cathy , Senore Carlo , Minozzi Silvia , Bisschops Raf , Domagk Dirk , Valori Roland , Spada Cristiano , Hassan Cesare , Dinis‐Ribeiro Mario , Rutter Matthew D
Published: March 2017

The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy and United European Gastroenterology present a short list of key performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. We recommend that endoscopy services across Europe adopt the following seven key performance measures for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy for measurement and evaluation in daily practice at a center and endoscopist level: 1 rate of adequate bowel preparation (minimum standard 90%); 2 cecal intubation rate (minimum standard 90%); 3 adenoma detection rate (minimum standard 25%); 4 appropriate polypectomy technique (minimum standard 80%); 5 complication rate (minimum standard not set); 6 patient experience (minimum standard not set); 7 appropriate post‐polypectomy surveillance recommendations (minimum standard not set). Other identified performance measures have been listed as less relevant based on an assessment of their importance, scientific acceptability, feasibility, usability, and comparison to competing measures.
Enhanced disease reduction using clozapine, an atypical antipsychotic agent, and glatiramer acetate combination therapy in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Green Laura K , Zareie Pirooz , Templeton Nikki , Keyzers Robert A , Connor Bronwen , La Flamme Anne Camille
Published: March 2017

Background

Atypical antipsychotic agents (AAP) alleviate the symptoms of severe mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, by antagonizing dopamine and serotonin receptors. Recently, AAP have also been shown to exhibit immunomodulatory properties in the central nervous system (CNS).

Objective

Building on research which demonstrated the ability of the AAP risperidone and clozapine to modify the disease course of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS), we aimed to more fully investigate the potential of clozapine as a possible treatment for MS.

Results

We report that orally administered clozapine significantly reduced the disease severity of EAE in a dose-dependent manner and was effective when administered prophylactically and therapeutically. In comparison to risperidone, quetiapine, and olanzapine, clozapine was the best at reducing disease severity. While clozapine-treated mice had only modest changes to peripheral leukocytes and cytokine responses, these animals had significantly fewer CNS-infiltrating CD4 T cells and myeloid cells. Furthermore, the CNS myeloid cells displayed a less activated phenotype in mice treated with clozapine. Finally, we found that co-administration of clozapine with glatiramer acetate enhanced disease protection compared to either treatment alone.

Conclusion

These studies indicate that clozapine is an effective immunomodulatory agent with the potential to treat immune-mediated diseases such as MS.
Social Judgments as a Measure of Right Mindfulness
Authors: Hakan Robert Lindsay , Neal Julia M. , Lothes John
Published: March 2017

Mindfulness should be associated with decreased automatic responding and with increased empathy and compassion. Therefore, given an opportunity to express judgments about other people, a highly mindful person should be less inclined to express negative and unnecessary judgments. The present study provided participants the opportunity to express judgments about photographs of other people in a procedure that attempted to control for potential demand characteristics associated with self-report measures of mindfulness. Expressed judgments were panel rated, and the derived judgment scores were regressed with participant scores on the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Results demonstrated no overall significant relationship between judgments and MAAS or FFMQ total scores. However, a significant relationship between judgment scores and the “act with awareness” and the “non-judgment” facets of the FFMQ was observed. Judgment scores were also related to self-reported involvement in mindfulness activities such as meditation and yoga. These results suggest that self-reported mindfulness may not completely align with behaviors that logically reflect right mindfulness. Moreover, social judgment may be a useful overt measure related to mindfulness. The results also provide empirical evidence of the very strong social tendency to negatively and often derogatorily judge other people.
Feminised Workforce in Transnational Production: Bangladesh Ready-made Garment Industry
Authors: Anwary Afroza
Published: March 2017

This article examines the lived experiences of workers and the organisational practices of a ready-made garment factory. It illuminates the centrality of social reproduction and the unpaid work of poor women of Bangladesh producing commodities that are channelled to core societies. This article demonstrates that women’s responsibility in social reproduction conditions the nature of their paid work, the terms of their employment and the forms of workplace control. Women workers face extremely rigid gender divisions of labour in the sphere of care work within the household and in workplace. Women workers’ unpaid housework reproduces the material bases of global capitalism by intensifying the labour demands on factory workers and the production process. Commodity chains (CC) threaten the productive and reproductive labour of poor women in periphery nations through the implementation of strategies by capitalists in core nations and by local capitalists connected to the CC. This article demonstrates the importance of incorporating class, gender, productive and reproductive labour, as well as households into world-systems analysis.
Translating tomographic ambiguity into the probabilistic inference of hydrologic and engineering target parameters
Authors: Paasche Hendrik
Published: March 2017

Geophysical tomography allows for spatially continuous imaging of physical parameters. In many hydrological or engineering exploration tasks, other parameters than those imaged by geophysical tomography are of higher interest, but they cannot be measured continuously in space. We have developed a methodology linking multiple tomograms imaging different physical parameters with a sparsely measured target parameter striving to achieve probabilistic, spatially continuous predictions of the target parameter distribution. Building on a fully nonlinear tomographic model reconstruction searching the solution space globally, we translate the tomographic model reconstruction ambiguity into the prediction of the target parameter. In doing so, we structurally integrate physically different tomograms achieved by individual inversion by transforming them into fuzzy sets. In a postinversion analysis, systems of linear equations are then set up and solved linking the fuzzy sets and sparse information about the target parameter, e.g., measured in boreholes. The method is fully data driven and does not require knowledge or assumptions about the expected relations between the tomographically imaged physical parameters and the target parameter. It is applicable to 2D and 3D tomographic data. Practically, the parameter interrelations can be of any complexity, including nonuniqueness. We evaluate the methodology using a synthetic database allowing for maximal control of the achieved predictions. We exemplarily predict 2D probabilistic models of porosity based on sparse porosity logging data and sets of equivalently plausible radar and seismic-velocity tomograms.
A new model describing the interaction between fluid pressure wave in pores and P-wave in rock matrix
Authors: Li Guangquan , Zhang Pengfei , Sun Jingshu
Published: March 2017

The interaction between seismic waves in rocks and fluid pressure in pores remains one of the most challenging topics in seismic exploration. A perturbation technique is used to develop a new model to describe the propagation of fluid pressure in pores associated with P-waves in the rock matrix. The basic idea is to approximate classification of waves in saturated rocks into two orders. The first order is a dominant P-wave in the matrix, and the second order is a companion fluid wave induced by the first-order wave. This approach is innovative and advantageous in that the complex interactions of stress between the matrix and fluid are decoupled and the mathematical solutions become easy to seek for. The fluid pressure wave is analyzed by a 1D plane wave ignoring the Poisson’s effect. Parameterization of the model using sandstone saturated with water results in the conclusion that the fluid wave has an amplitude one order of magnitude smaller than the matrix wave and the two waves have a very slight phase difference. We have also evaluated the potential application of our model to shale gas and shale oil.
Multichannel spatially correlated reflectivity inversion using block sparse Bayesian learning
Authors: Ma Ming , Wang Shangxu , Yuan Sanyi , Wang Jingjing , Wen Junxiang
Published: March 2017

The reflectivity inversion approach based on a variety of regularization terms was extensively developed and applied to image subsurface structure in recent years. In addition, multichannel reflectivity inversion or deconvolution considering the lateral continuity of reflection interfaces or reflectivity in adjacent channels has been developed. However, these processing operations seldom adaptively judge the stratal continuity or automatically alter the parameters of the corresponding algorithm. To use the special correlation of the reflection information contained in the seismic data, a multichannel spatially correlated reflectivity inversion using block sparse Bayesian learning (bSBL) is introduced. The method adopts a covariance matrix that describes the spatial relationship of reflectivity and simultaneously controls the temporal sparsity. With an expectation-maximization algorithm, we can obtain the parameters of the multichannel reflectivity model, including the mean (i.e., the estimated multichannel reflectivity) and the covariance matrix (i.e., the correlation of nonzero reflection impulses). The noise variance in the observed seismic data is also estimated during the inversion processing. Due to the contribution of reflectivity correlation in different traces, the performance of the multichannel spatially correlated reflectivity inversion using bSBL is significantly superior to the trace-by-trace processing method in the presence of a medium level of noise. The synthetic and real data examples illustrate that the lateral continuity is well-preserved in seismic profiles after inversion.
Simulation and interpretation of sonic waveforms in high-angle and horizontal wells
Authors: Wang Ruijia , Herrera Wilberth , Torres-Verdín Carlos
Published: March 2017

We have developed a new method to process and interpret sonic waveforms acquired in high-angle (HA) and horizontal (HZ) wells in the vicinity of layer boundaries. Numerical simulations are examined for HA/HZ fluid-filled borehole models, in which sonic tools with monopole and dipole sources operate across a horizontal bed boundary in hard and soft formations. Simulations are performed with a 3D time-domain finite-difference method assuming a sonic logging tool, in which each receiver station consists of eight azimuthal receivers. Instead of conventional processing for monopole and dipole waveforms, which takes the average and difference, respectively, of waveforms acquired with azimuthal receivers, we analyze the waveforms acquired individually by each azimuthal receiver. For dipole sources, we refer to the dispersive signals recorded by individual receivers as pseudo-flexural waves, and we first process them with a weighted spectral semblance method to obtain the frequency dispersion curves. We then apply a correction to the dispersion curves of receivers with specific azimuths to estimate the formation shear slowness. Close to a horizontal bed boundary, we select two azimuths: One of them is the azimuth with the corresponding receiver positioned within the top layer and having minimal sensitivity to the bottom formation. The second azimuth is such that the corresponding receiver is positioned within the bottom formation and has minimal sensitivity to the top formation. Simulations show that the presence of a bed boundary significantly alters the propagation of P-, S-, and flexural waves. Rather than by borehole guided waves, in HA wells, receiver signals generated with a monopole source are mostly influenced by converted P-P and S-S waves induced by the bed boundary. Apparent slownesses of these converted waves are determined by their direction of propagation and the corresponding true formation slowness. Also, values of apparent slownesses are consistently lower than the true formation slownesses. In soft formations, borehole guided pseudo-flexural waves generated by a vertical dipole source show good azimuthal resolution for the HA and HZ wells. Processing the pseudo-flexural waveforms separately for the top and bottom receivers yields unbiased shear slownesses for formations above and below the well, respectively. This procedure enables the accurate evaluation of formation heterogeneity due to the bed-boundary effects.