bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrating Computational Thinking Concept Into Digital Storytelling to Improve Learners’ Motivation and Performance
Authors: Parsazadeh Nadia , Cheng Pei-Yu , Wu Ting-Ting , Huang Yueh-Min
Published: October 2020

This paper examines a method which can be used by instructors pursuing innovative methods for language teaching, which expands learners’ motivation in second language learning. Computational thinking (CT) is a problem-solving skill which can motivate students’ English language learning. Designing a learning activity which integrates CT into English language learning has been considered in only a few academic studies. This study aimed to explore whether integrating CT into English language learning can be useful for improving learners’ motivation and performance. The method of “present, practice, and produce” was applied as a method of presenting computational thinking in the English language learning classroom. Fifty-two elementary school students (52) participated in the experimental study. Following an experimental design, data were collected and analyzed from a combination of knowledge test scores, storytelling, motivation, and anxiety surveys. The experimental results indicate that the CT strategy improves students’ language learning and raises their motivation in the two dimensions of extrinsic and intrinsic goal orientation. These results imply the positive effect of CT strategy on strengthening problem-solving skills of students participating in digital storytelling and increases their motivation and performance in English language learning.
Hybrid Femininities: Making Sense of Sorority Rankings and Reputation
Authors: Ispa-Landa Simone , Oliver Mariana
Published: October 2020

Gender researchers have only recently begun to identify how women perceive and explain the costs and benefits associated with different femininities. Yet status hierarchies among historically white college sororities are explicit and cannot be ignored, forcing sorority women to grapple with constructions of feminine worth. Drawing on interviews with women in these sororities (N = 53), we are able to capture college women’s attitudes toward status rankings that prioritize adherence to narrow models of gender complementarity. Sorority chapters were ranked according to women’s perceived heterosexual appeal to elite men. Women believed that top-ranked sororities conferred social power whereas middle- and bottom-ranked sororities offered greater freedom from policing over members’ bodies, fashion, and socializing. However, middle- and bottom-ranked sororities sometimes sought to rise in the rankings. When this occurred, existing members were marginalized, and a new pledge class with a greater tolerance for socializing with high-status “rapey” fraternities was sought. Women’s discussions of sorority rankings show evidence of a hybrid femininity that fuses practices from traditional models of gender complementarity and more recent models of women’s empowerment.
Adequacy of Peritoneal Dialysis in Children: Consider the Membrane for Optimal Prescription
Authors: Fischbach Michel , Dheu Celine , Seugé–Dargnies Laure , Delobbe Jean François
Published: October 2020

The peritoneal dialysis (PD) prescription should be adequate before being optimal. The peritoneal membrane is a dynamic dialyzer: the surface area and the vascular area both have recruitment capacity.

At bedside, prescription is based mainly on tolerance of the prescribed fill volume, and therefore a too-small fill volume is often prescribed. A too-small fill volume may lead to a hyperpermeable exchange, with potentially enhanced morbidity—or even mortality—risks. Better understanding of the peritoneal membrane as a dynamic dialysis surface area allows for an individually adapted prescription, which is especially suitable for children on automated PD.

Fill volume should be scaled for body surface area (mL/m2) and, to avoid a hyperpermeable exchange, for a not-too-small amount. Fill volume enhancement should be conducted under clinical control and is best determined by intraperitoneal pressure measurement in centimeters of H2O. In children 2 years of age and older, a peak fill volume of 1400 – 1500 mL/m2 can be prescribed in terms of tolerance, efficiency, and peritoneal membrane recruitment.

Dwell times should be determined individually with respect to two opposing parameters:

• Short dwell times provide adequate small-solute clearance and maintain the crystalloid osmotic gradient (and, thereby, the ultrafiltration capacity).

• Long dwell times enhance phosphate clearance, but can lead to dialysate reabsorption.

The new PD fluids (that is, those free of glucose degradation products, with a neutral pH, and not exclusively lactate-buffered) appear to be the best choice both in terms of membrane recruitment and of preservation of peritoneal vascular hyperperfusion.
Identifying and Managing Malnutrition Stemming from Different Causes
Authors: Chung Sung Hee , Stenvinkel Peter , Lindholm Bengt , Carla Maria Avesani
Published: October 2020

Protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) is highly prevalent among peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients and is a strong predictor of morbidity and mortality. A wide range of factors can lead to PEM and associated wasting (PEM/W) in PD patients, but persistent inflammation and the presence of diabetes have been identified as the two main reasons. An important body of literature has been reporting studies of methods suitable for detecting malnutrition in its early phase so that appropriate intervention can be provided. Although assessment of nutrition status has been substantially improved, no definitive single method of assessing nutrition status has been decided. Rather, several different markers of nutrition should be evaluated together. Because of the complexity of treating malnutrition in PD patients, nontraditional strategies such as appetite stimulants, anti-inflammatory diets, and anti-inflammatory pharmacologic agents are recommended to be combined with more traditional forms of nutritional support, so as to provide a better chance of recovery. The present review briefly discusses the causes of PEM/W, the methods most commonly used to identify the condition, and the new management strategies available.
Sympathetic Hyperactivity—A Hidden Enemy in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients
Authors: Blankestijn Peter J.
Published: October 2020

Chronic kidney disease is often characterized by the presence of sympathetic hyperactivity. The aim of this brief review is to summarize available knowledge on the pathogenesis of sympathetic hyperactivity and to discuss its clinical relevance, the consequences of this knowledge for the choice of treatment, and the yet unresolved issues.
Adipokines and Gut Hormones in End-Stage Renal Disease
Authors: Mak Robert H. , Cheung Wai
Published: October 2020

Cachexia is common in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients, and it is an important risk factor for poor quality of life and increased mortality and morbidity. Chronic inflammation is an important cause of cachexia in ESRD patients. In the present review, we examine recent evidence suggesting that adipokines or adipocytokines such as leptin, adiponectin, resistin, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-1β may play important roles in uremic cachexia. We also review the physiology and the potential roles of gut hormones, including ghrelin, peptide YY, and cholecystokinin in ESRD. Understanding the molecular pathophysiology of these novel hormones in ESRD may lead to novel therapeutic strategies.
Survival Analysis: Comparing Peritoneal Dialysis and Hemodialysis in Taiwan
Authors: Huang Chiu-Ching , Cheng Kuang-Fu , Wu Hong-Dar Isaac
Published: October 2020

⋄ Objectives

Comparisons of survival in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD) and on hemodialysis (HD) have been conducted in many Western countries, but publications on this subject in Asian populations are scarce. The present study estimated the survival and the relative mortality hazard for HD and PD patients in Taiwan.

⋄ Methods

Incident end-stage renal disease patients reported to the Taiwan Renal Registry during 1995 – 2002 were included in the study. Patients had to be 20 years of age or older and had to have survived for the first 90 days on dialysis. A total of 45 820 incident HD and 2809 incident PD patients formed the study population. Patients on PD were treated mainly with traditional glucose-based solutions. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, the Cox proportional hazards (CPH) model was applied to identify the factors that predict survival by treatment modality. Subgroup analyses were conducted by stratifying patients according to sex, comorbidity, age, and diabetes status. Kaplan–Meier estimates were used to explore the survival of HD and PD patients. Adjustments were implemented using the CPH model.

⋄ Results

The overall 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 5-year and 10-year survival rates for PD patients were 89.8%, 77.6%, 67.6%, 55.5%, and 35% respectively. The equivalent survival rates for HD patients were 87.5%, 76.6%, 68.1%, 54.3%, and 33.8%. The differences were not statistically significant ( p = 0.125). The CPH analysis stratified by diabetes status and age revealed that PD patients 55 years of age or younger and nondiabetic had a lower mortality ratio (MR) of 0.94. But the MR increased to 1.31 for nondiabetic patients older than 55. The MR for PD versus HD further increased to 1.72 for diabetic patients 55 years of age or younger, and to 1.99 for diabetic patients older than 55.

⋄ Conclusions

After adjusting for both demographic and clinical case-mix differences, PD and HD patients were observed to have similar long-term survival. Subgroup analyses revealed that, among diabetic patients and patients older than 55, those on HD experienced better survival than did those on PD.
Long-Term Clinical Outcomes of Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: Single Center Experience from Korea
Authors: Han Seung Hyeok , Lee Jung Eun , Kim Dong Ki , Moon Sung Jin , Kim Hyun-Wook , Chang Jae Hyun , Kim Beom Seok , Kang Shin-Wook , Choi Kyu Hun , Lee Ho Yung , Han Dae Suk
Published: October 2020

Of a large body of literature reporting clinical outcomes for patients maintained on peritoneal dialysis (PD), most publications have focused on relatively short-term results. Few reports have focused on long-term survival in PD patients. Here, we present our experience with long-term patient outcomes and further analyses of the trends in demographics and clinical outcomes of 2301 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients treated with continuous ambulatory PD (CAPD) during a 25-year period (1981 – 2005) at our institute. Outcomes were analyzed for 1656 patients, excluding those younger than 15 years of age at initiation of CAPD, those having less than 3 months’ follow-up, or those who had been on hemodialysis or who received a kidney graft before starting CAPD.

In the study patients, technique survival at 5 and 10 years was 71.9% and 48.1% respectively. Patient survival was 69.8% and 51.8%. Mean age at the start of PD (50.4 ± 13.9 years vs. 44.2 ± 13.9 years, p < 0.01), ESRD incidence as a result of diabetic nephropathy (30.5% vs. 19.5%, p < 0.01), and incidence of cardiovascular comorbidities (26.6% vs. 20.5%, p < 0.01) were all significantly greater in patients who started PD during the second half of the study period (1993 – 2005) as compared with the first half (1981 – 1992). A multivariate analysis adjusting for these changes in demographics and comorbid conditions revealed that PD therapy starting in 1993 – 2005 was associated with a significant reduction in technique failure [hazard ratio (HR): 0.65; p < 0.01] and mortality (HR: 0.68; p < 0.01) as compared with the earlier period. However, in subgroup analyses, technique survival was not observed to be significantly improved in patients with diabetes.

In summary, technique and patient survival have significantly improved despite increases in patient age, cardiovascular comorbidity, and ESRD caused by diabetes. Although diabetes, older age, and cardiovascular comorbidities are not factors that are easily modifiable to improve PD outcomes, results at our institution are encouraging in an era of declining PD utilization.
Peritoneal Dialysis in Shanghai
Authors: Yao Qiang , Zhang Weiming , Qian Jiaqi
Published: October 2020

⋄ Background

Although China lacks a national dialysis registry, several local systems (such as the Shanghai Dialysis Registry, established in 1996) do exist. The present report provides information from the registry concerning the development of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in Shanghai.

⋄ Methods

Data from the Shanghai Dialysis Registry collected between 1999 and 2006 were used in the analysis. All 58 dialysis centers in Shanghai, of which 30 have a PD program, entered data into the registry.

⋄ Results

Point prevalence of PD on 31 December 2006 was 1204 patients, as compared with 459 patients in 1999. In 2006, 705 patients commenced PD, giving a treatment rate of 51.5 per million population. The percentage utilization of PD among all dialysis modalities exceeded 20% in 2006, as compared with 16% in 1999. The main cause of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) was chronic glomerulonephritis, affecting 40% of all patients. However, the incidence of diabetic nephropathy increased to 30.5% from 15.3% between 1999 and 2006, and represented the second major cause of ESRF in 2006. All PD patients were dialyzed with standard glucose-based solutions only. The annual death rate among PD patients decreased to 10.3% in 2006 from 16.1% in 1999. Infection was the leading cause of death and drop-out, although the peritonitis rate decreased (to 1 episode in 48.8 patient–months in 2006 from 1 episode in 36.6 patient–months in 1999). Dialysis adequacy, hepatitis infection control, and anemia control improved over time.

⋄ Conclusions

The PD population in Shanghai has continuously grown and improved in clinical outcome over the 8 years from 1999 to 2006.
Preparing Patients for Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Lo Wai Kei , Kwan Tze Hoi , Ho Yiu Wing , Lee Maggie , Cheng Yuk Yee , Ng Suk Yi , Chu Wai Ling
Published: October 2020

When told of their need for dialysis, patients often cannot accept it and are fearful toward dialysis. Pre-dialysis counseling programs help patients to face dialysis, to make the right choice of dialysis modality, and to prepare themselves for life on dialysis. Clear explanations of peritoneal dialysis (PD) help patients choosing PD. Patients should be referred to pre-dialysis programs at least 4 – 6 months before commencement of dialysis or when their glomerular filtration rate is around 15 mL/min/1.73 m2. The pre-dialysis program is best conducted by experienced staff such as renal nurses and multidisciplinary staff including nephrologists, dietitians, physiotherapists, psychologists, social workers, or even dialysis patient representatives depending on availability. The program should be designed according to the culture, settings, staff availability, and patient load in individual hospitals. Pre-dialysis home visits may be needed in some cases to assess suitability and prepare the home for PD.
Overnight Mesothelial Cell Exfoliation: A Magic Tool for Predicting Future Ultrafiltration Failure in Patients on Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Kanjanabuch Talerngsak , Siribamrungwong Monchai , Khunprakant Rungrote , Kanjanabuch Sirigul , Jeungsmarn Piyathida , Achavanuntakul Bunlusak , Pongpirul Krit , Park Min-Sun , Tungsanga Kriang , Eiam-Ong Somchai
Published: October 2020

⋄ Background

Continuous exposure of the peritoneal membrane to dialysis solutions during long-term dialysis results in mesothelial cell loss, peritoneal membrane damage, and thereby, ultrafiltration (UF) failure, a major determinant of mortality in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Unfortunately, none of tests available today can predict long-term UF decline. Here, we propose a new tool to predict such a change.

⋄

Mesothelial cells from 8-hour overnight effluents (1.36% glucose dialysis solution) were harvested, co-stained with cytokeratin (a mesothelial marker) and TUNEL (an apoptotic marker), and were counted using flow cytometry in 48 patients recently started on CAPD. Adequacy of dialysis, UF, nutrition status, dialysate cancer antigen 125 (CA125), and a peritoneal equilibration test (3.86% glucose peritoneal dialysis solution) were simultaneously assessed and were reevaluated 1 year later.

⋄ Results

The numbers of total and apoptotic mesothelial cells were 0.19 ± 0.19 million and 0.08 ± 0.12 million cells per bag, respectively. Both numbers correlated well with the levels of end dialysate–to–initial dialysate (D/D0) glucose, dialysate-to-plasma (D/P) creatinine, and sodium dipping. Notably, the counts of cells of both types in patients with diabetes or with high or high-average transport were significantly greater than the equivalent counts in nondiabetic patients or those with low or low-average transport. A cutoff of 0.06 million total mesothelial cells per bag had sensitivity of 1 and a specificity of 0.75 in predicting a further decline in D/D0 glucose and a sensitivity of 0.86 and a specificity of 0.63 to predict a further decline in UF over a 1-year period. In contrast, dialysate CA125 and other measured parameters had low predictive values.

⋄ Conclusions

The greater the loss of exfoliated cells, the worse the expected decline in UF. The ability of a count of mesothelial cells to predict a future decline in UF warrants further investigation in clinical practice.
Fasting Serum Ghrelin Level is Associated with Metabolic Syndrome in Peritoneal Dialysis Patients
Authors: Lee Chung-Jen , Subeq Yi-Maun , Wang Chih-Hsien , Lee Ru-Ping , Fang Te-Chao , Hsu Bang-Gee
Published: October 2020

⋄ Background

Serum ghrelin levels are elevated in uremic patients. However, no data are available on the relationship between metabolic syndrome and serum ghrelin levels in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients.

⋄ Methods

Metabolic syndrome and its components were defined using diagnostic criteria recommended by the International Diabetes Federation. Fasting serum samples were taken from 30 PD patients. Serum ghrelin levels were measured by using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.

⋄ Results

Of the 30 PD patients, 53.3% (16/30) had metabolic syndrome. Fasting serum ghrelin corrected inversely with metabolic syndrome among these PDs patients ( p = 0.002). By odds ratio (OR) analysis of metabolic syndrome and metabolic syndrome diagnostic criteria, the predictors for metabolic syndrome are fasting glucose [OR: 39.00; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.80 to 399.85; p < 0.001], triglycerides (OR: 37.50; 95% CI: 3.64 to 386.51; p < 0.001), and waist circumference (OR: 4.20; 95% CI: 1.95 to 9.03; p < 0.001). Univariate linear regression analysis showed that body weight ( r = –0.461, p = 0.010), waist circumference ( r = –0.390, p = 0.033), and body mass index ( r = –0.438, p = 0.016) were negatively correlated with serum ghrelin, and serum high density lipoprotein [HDL ( r = 0.626, p < 0.001)] was positively correlated with serum ghrelin. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis of the significant variables showed that HDL ( R2 change = 0.392; p < 0.001) was the independent predictor of serum ghrelin in PD patients and explained 39.2% of the variance.

⋄ Conclusions

These results indicate an inverse association between circulating fasting ghrelin and metabolic syndrome in PD patients. Serum HDL was associated with serum ghrelin among PD patients.
Frequency of Porphyromonas gingivalis and fimA genotypes in patients with periodontitis and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Martínez Rita Elizabeth Martínez , Herrera José Luis Ayala , Pérez Rubén Abraham Domínguez , Mendoza Carlos Abud , Manrique Solange Ivette Rivera
Published: October 2020

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine and compare the distribution of fimA genotypes of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients compared with control subjects.

Material and methods

This observational cross-sectional study included 281 patients divided into two groups. Group 1 (G1) consisted of 162 control subjects (30–54 years old) and, group 2 (G2) included 119 subjects (10–69 years old) diagnosed with SLE. The presence of P. gingivalis was detected by PCR. DNA sequences in acquired plaque samples were identified using P. gingivalis specific sequences and further analyzed to differentiate their fimA genotypes using six sets of fimA genotype-specific primers.

Results

The presence of periodontitis (PE) was similar in both groups; similar measurements were obtained regarding clinical attachment loss (CAL) (G1 1.76 ± 0.72 vs. G2 1.95 ± 0.76). G2 showed the highest frequency of P. gingivalis (94.95%). FimA genotype II is considered the most virulent and, was the most frequently found in the SLE group (53.09%).

Conclusion

The genotypes associated with PE are more frequently detected in SLE, which could make them susceptible to develop PE.
Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six European countries
Authors: Koskinen Sanna , Pajakoski Elina , Fuster Pilar , Ingadottir Brynja , Löyttyniemi Eliisa , Numminen Olivia , Salminen Leena , Scott P Anne , Stubner Juliane , Truš Marija , Leino-Kilpi Helena ,   On behalf of ProCompNurse Consortium
Published: October 2020

Background:

Moral courage is defined as courage to act according to one’s own ethical values and principles even at the risk of negative consequences for the individual. In a complex nursing practice, ethical considerations are integral. Moral courage is needed throughout nurses’ career.

Aim:

To analyse graduating nursing students’ moral courage and the factors associated with it in six European countries.

Research design:

A cross-sectional design, using a structured questionnaire, as part of a larger international ProCompNurse study. In the questionnaire, moral courage was assessed with a single question (visual analogue scale 0–100), the questionnaire also covered several background variables.

Participants and research context:

The sample comprised graduating nursing students (n = 1796) from all participating countries. To get a comprehensive view about graduating nursing students’ moral courage, the views of nurse managers (n = 538) and patients (n = 1327) from the same units in which the graduating nursing students practised were also explored, with parallel questionnaires.

Ethical considerations:

Ethical approvals and research permissions were obtained according to national standards in every country and all participants gave their informed consent.

Results:

The mean of graduating nursing students’ self-assessed moral courage was 77.8 (standard deviation 17.0; on a 0–100 scale), with statistically significant differences between countries. Higher moral courage was associated with many factors, especially the level of professional competence. The managers assessed the graduating nursing students’ moral courage lower (66.5; standard deviation 18.4) and the patients slightly higher (80.6; standard deviation 19.4) than the graduating nursing students themselves.

Discussion and conclusions:

In all countries, the graduating nursing students’ moral courage was assessed as rather high, with differences between countries and populations. These differences and associations between moral courage and ethics education require further research.
Magnetic Resonance Guided Radiotherapy for Rectal Cancer: Expanding Opportunities for Non-Operative Management
Authors: Tchelebi Leila T. , Romesser Paul B. , Feuerlein Sebastian , Hoffe Sarah , Latifi Kujtim , Felder Seth , Chuong Michael D.
Published: October 2020

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and the second most common in women worldwide, and the incidence is increasing among younger patients. 30% of these malignancies arise in the rectum. Patients with rectal cancer have historically been managed with preoperative radiation, followed by radical surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy, with permanent colostomies in up to 20% of patients. Beginning in the early 2000s, non-operative management (NOM) of rectal cancer emerged as a viable alternative to radical surgery in select patients. Efforts have been ongoing to optimize neoadjuvant therapy for rectal cancer, thereby increasing the number of patients potentially eligible to forgo radical surgery. Magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) has recently emerged as a treatment modality capable of intensifying preoperative radiation therapy for rectal cancer patients. This technology may also predict which patients will achieve a complete response to preoperative therapy, thereby allowing for more appropriate selection of patients for NOM. The present work seeks to illustrate the potential role MRgRT could play in personalizing rectal cancer treatment thus expanding the role of NOM in rectal cancer.
Gene Variants Associated With Venous Thrombosis: A Replication Study in a Brazilian Multicentre Study
Authors: Romano Anna Virgínia Calazans , Barnabé Aline , Gadelha Telma Barbosa , Guerra João Carlos de Campos , Secolin Rodrigo , Orsi Fernanda Loureiro de Andrade , Campanate Gizele de Castro Sousa , Wolosker Nelson , Annichino-Bizzacchi Joyce Maria
Published: October 2020

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) associated with Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) risk have been identified in European and American populations. Replicate SNPs associated with VTE in a Brazilian multicenter case-control study of the Southeast region. Patients with previous VTE assisted at the Outpatient Clinics of 3 centers of the Southeast Brazilian region were compared to normal controls of the same geographic region. We evaluated 29 SNPs associated with VTE risk in other populations, and 90 SNPs for stratification analysis of the population. Due to high admixture of Brazilian population and lack of previous studies, the calculation of the sample power was performed after genotyping. Sample size, allelic frequency and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were estimated. The association and odds ratio analyses were estimated by logistic regression and the results were adjusted for multiple tests using Bonferroni correction. The evaluation of the genetic structure similarity in the cases and controls was performed by AMOVA. 436 cases and 430 controls were included. It was demonstrated that this sample has a statistical power to detect a genetic association of 79.4%. AMOVA showed that the genetic variability between groups was 0.0% and 100% within each group. None of the SNPs showed association with VTE in our population. A Brazilian multicenter case-control study with adequate sample power, high genetic variability though no stratification between groups, showed no replication of SNPs associated with VTE. The high admixture of Brazilian population may be responsible for these results, emphasizing the influence of the population genetic structure in association studies.
Stem cell therapy prior to full-mouth tooth extraction lacks substantial clinical efficacy in cats affected by chronic gingivostomatitis
Authors: Arzi Boaz , Taechangam Nopmanee , Lommer Milinda J , Walker Naomi J , Loscar Megan R , Borjesson Dori L
Published: October 2020

Objectives

The aim of this pilot study was to determine the safety, efficacy and immunomodulatory function of systemically administered adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) in cats affected by feline chronic gingivostomatitis (FCGS) prior to full-mouth tooth extractions.

Methods

Five client-owned cats affected with FCGS that did not undergo full-mouth tooth extractions for FCGS treatment received two intravenous injections of 20 million fresh, allogeneic or autologous ASCs. An oral examination with photographs, a complete blood count, blood immune cell phenotyping and a biochemical profile were completed at 0 and 6 months after treatment.

Results

Four cats completed the study and one cat exited the study 3 months after treatment. While the treatment was determined to be clinically safe, no positive clinical response was observed in three cats and a mild response was noted in two cats. Furthermore, none of the cats exhibited immune modulation, as evidenced by no alteration in circulating CD8+ T cells, normalization of the CD4:CD8 ratio or neutrophil counts.

Conclusions and relevance

Unlike the reported efficacy of ASCs in treating cats with non-responsive FCGS after full-mouth tooth extraction, the systemic administration of ASCs prior to full-mouth tooth extraction lacks substantial clinical efficacy and is not recommended at this time.
Management of Acute Mesenteric Venous Thrombosis: A Systematic Review of Contemporary Studies
Authors: Acosta S. , Salim S.
Published: October 2020

Background and Aims:

Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis accounts for up to 20% of all patients with acute mesenteric ischemia in high-income countries. Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis is nowadays relatively more often diagnosed with intravenous contrast-enhanced computed tomography in the portal phase than at explorative laparotomy No high-quality comparative studies between anticoagulation alone, endovascular therapy, or surgery exists. The aim of the present systematic review was to offer a contemporary overview on management.

Materials and Methods:

Eleven relevant published original studies with series of at least ten patients were retrieved from a Pub Med search between 2015 and 2020 using the Medical Subject Heading term “mesenteric venous thrombosis.”

Results:

When MVT is diagnosed early, immediate anticoagulation with either unfractionated heparin or subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin should commence. Surgeons need to be aware of the importance to scrutinize the computed tomography images themselves for assessment of secondary intestinal abnormalities to mesenteric venous thrombosis and the risk of bowel resection and worse prognosis. Progression toward peritonitis is an indication for explorative laparotomy and assessment of bowel viability. Frank transmural small bowel necrosis should be resected and bowel anastomosis may be delayed for several days until second look. Meanwhile, intravenous full-dose unfractionated heparin should be given at the end of the first operation. Postoperative major intra-abdominal or gastrointestinal bleeding occurs rarely, but the heparin effect can instantaneously be reversed by protamine sulfate. Patients who do not improve during conservative therapy with anticoagulation alone but without developing peritonitis may be subjected to endovascular therapy in expert centers. When the patient’s intestinal function has recovered, with or without bowel resection, switch from parenteral unfractionated heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin therapy to oral anticoagulation can be performed. There is a trend that direct oral anticoagulants are increasingly used instead of vitamin K antagonists. Up to now, direct oral anticoagulants have been shown to be equally effective with the same rate of bleeding complications. Patients with no strong permanent trigger factor for mesenteric venous thrombosis such as intra-abdominal cancer should undergo blood screening for inherited and acquired thrombophilia.

Conclusion:

Early diagnosis with emergency computed tomography with intravenous contrast-enhancement and imaging in the portal phase and anticoagulation therapy is necessary to be able to have a succesful non-operative succesful course.
Connectivity in times of control: writing/undoing/unpacking/acting out power performances
Authors: Stark Whitney , Revelles-Benavente Beatriz , Cielemęcka Olga
Published: October 2020

In this collectively written article, the authors interrogate contemporary power constellations that run between control and connectivity. Regimes of individualism, hierarchies of assumed classifications and imperialistic subjectivities sustain the basis for political control that organises connections and divisions used to justify hierarchical dominations and distributions. This makes anti-oppression practices that value differing forms of connectivity and intra-dependence (between humans, more than humans, disciplines, all things considered to be of different bodies) nearly unimaginable. The authors offer/reconfigure/understand connectivity as a practice acting in and at odds with those controlling political regimes that organise and classify matter(s), while experimenting with their own writing methodology aimed at staying connected. Informed by new materialist feminist practices and ideas, the authors discuss the political stakes of multiple ideas of connectivity within three empirical scenarios: academic labour practices, social media and a digitally established mutual aid community. We trace entangled forces of separation and control shaped by global imperialism, processes of individuation and technological apparatuses and how they perform within these scenarios. This approach is mirrored in our practice of writing together. In an alternative to traditionalised ways of writing, we expand upon an embodied praxis, elaborating on multiple engagements while offering our own connections with these differing situated knowledges. In light of this, the authors write in a diffractive, collective fashion that lies somewhere between a conversation and the strict linearity of typical narratives.
Analyzing media–government relations on policy issues in the semi-democratic milieu of Pakistan
Authors: Hussain Shabir
Published: October 2020

In this study, the researcher examines some of the key arguments in the scholarship on media–government relations by analyzing press reporting of four different events in the securitized context of Pakistan. For this purpose, framing analysis of one elite English newspaper Dawn and one popular Urdu newspaper daily Jang was conducted. Overall, the results are mixed. The tragic event of Salala check post did not result in critical coverage. On the other hand, policy uncertainty on participation in the Yemeni conflict produced critical coverage. In case of Kashmir conflict, the broader political consensus was responsible for supportive coverage. Similarly, the unpopular step of giving extension to army chief was mainly reported in neutral fashion with some procedural criticism.
Refined Carbohydrate Consumption and Facial Attractiveness
Authors: Berticat Claire , Durand Valérie , Raymond Michel
Published: October 2020

Since the second half of the 20th century, a massive increase in the consumption of refined carbohydrates has occurred, generating well-described detrimental health effects such as obesity, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and dental caries. Certain physiological mechanisms involved, particularly through chronic hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia, suggest that a non-medical trait such as facial attractiveness could also be affected. To explore this possibility, variation in facial attractiveness was evaluated relative to refined carbohydrate consumption. Attractiveness was assessed from facial pictures as judged by raters of the opposite sex. Estimates of refined carbohydrate consumption were based on the glycaemic load of three mealtimes at-higher glycaemic risk (breakfast, afternoon snack and between-meal snack). In the presence of several control variables, facial pictures of women and men with higher between-meal glycaemic loads were preferred by opposite-sex raters. Structural equation modeling suggests that this result is possibly mediated by an increase in apparent age for men and an increase in femininity for women. The different physiological ecologies of the three meals at-higher glycaemic risk are discussed as well as the interpretation of the results in terms of adaptation or maladaptation to the modern and unique dietary environment.
Removal of high concentration Congo red by hydrophobic PVDF hollow fiber composite membrane coated with a loose and porous ZIF-71PVDF layer through vacuum membrane distillation
Authors: Li Hongbin , Shi Wenying , Du Qiyun , Huang Shoufa , Zhang Haixia , Zhou Rong , Qin Xiaohong
Published: October 2020

Although membrane distillation (MD) technology has the outstanding advantages of almost 100% solute retention and mild operation conditions, its further development is limited by low permeate flux. In order to solve the problem, the improvement of membrane hydrophobicity becomes one of the effective solutions. In this study, a loose and porous hydrophobic zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-71 (ZIF-71)/polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) coating layer was composited on the outside surface of PVDF hollow fiber support membrane by the dilute solution coating to enhance membrane hydrophobicity. The prepared hollow fiber composite (HFC) membranes were employed to remove high concentration Congo red (CR) through VMD. The effects of different operation conditions including the dye concentration, feed temperature, vacuum pressure and feed flow rate on CR rejection and permeate water flux were investigated. In the variation range of operating conditions, all the CR rejection of the PVDF HFC membranes shows a slight change and remains above 99.9%. Under the optimal operation conditions including dye concentration 600 mg·L−1, vacuum pressure 31.325 kPa, feed temperature 60°C and feed flow rate 50 L·h−1, HFC membrane exhibit a permeate water flux of 13.15 kg·m−2·h−1. HFC membrane suffers dye fouling during the continuous dye filtration for 100 h. The fouling mechanism was proposed and a combined cleaning way including forward washing, back flushing and chemical desorption has been proved to be effective in recovering membrane water flux.
Ginkgo biloba Extract Attenuates Methotrexate-Induced Testicular Injury in Rats: Cross-talk Between Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, Apoptosis, and miRNA-29a Expression
Authors: Sherif Iman O. , Al-Mutabagani Laila A. , Sarhan Osama M.
Published: October 2020

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GIN) is a popular Chinese herbal medicine. It has a nephroprotective effect against the nephrotoxicity induced by the chemotherapeutic agent methotrexate (MTX). This work was designed to explore the testicular protective role of GIN on MTX-induced testicular injury in a rat model. The experimental protocol lasted for 10 days for the 4 studied groups. First group: received saline (normal control, NC group). The second group was administered GIN (100 mg/kg/day) orally for 10 days (GIN C). Third group: injected with MTX (20 mg/kg ip) only on the fifth day (MTX group). Fourth group: administered GIN for 10 days with MTX injection on the fifth day (GIN+MTX group). MTX induced testicular injury as evident by a marked rise in the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β protein levels, nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) protein expression, bcl-2 associated × protein (Bax) mRNA expression, p53 mRNA and protein expressions, and miRNA29-a expression along with a marked decline in the serum level of testosterone and superoxide dismutase (SOD) content in testicular tissue in relation to the NC group. Moreover, histopathological testicular damage with a notable decrease in the Johnsen score together with a significant elevation in the testicular injury score was observed in the MTX group in comparison to the NC group. The administration of GIN ameliorated the biochemical changes as well as the testicular histopathological findings and scores. GIN could protect against MTX-induced gonadotoxicity by its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic activities plus the regulation of the miRNA-29a testicular expression.
Patient, caregiving partner, and clinician recommendations for improving heart failure care in the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Slightam Cindie , Risbud Rashmi , Guetterman Timothy C , Nevedal Andrea L , Nelson Karin M , Piette John D , Trivedi Ranak B
Published: October 2020

Objective

Heart Failure (HF) care requires substantial care coordination between patients, patients’ informal caregivers, and clinicians, but few studies have examined recommendations from all three perspectives. The objective of this study was to understand and identify shared recommendations to improve HF self-care from the perspective of VA persons with HF, their caregiving partners, and clinicians.

Methods

Secondary data analysis from a study of semi-structured interviews with 16 couples (persons with HF and their caregiving partners) and 13 clinicians (physicians, nurses, other specialists) from a large Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. Interviews were double-coded, and analyzed for themes around commonly used or recommended self-care strategies.

Results

Three themes emerged: (1) Couples and clinicians believe that improvements are still needed to existing HF education, especially the need to be tailored to learning style and culture, (2) Couples and clinicians believe that technology can facilitate better HF self-care, and (3) Couples and clinicians believe that caregiving partners are part of the self-care team, and should be involved in care management to support the person with HF.

Discussion

Recommendations from couples and clinicians address barriers to HF self-care and encourage patient-centered care.
Early steroid withdrawal has a positive effect on bone in kidney transplant recipients: a propensity score study with inverse probability-of-treatment weighting
Authors: Batteux Benjamin , Gras-Champel Valérie , Lando Mathilde , Brazier François , Mentaverri Romuald , Desailly-Henry Isabelle , Rey Amayelle , Bennis Youssef , Masmoudi Kamel , Choukroun Gabriel , Liabeuf Sophie
Published: October 2020

Background:

Long-term corticosteroid use after kidney transplantation is associated with a decrease in bone mineral density (BMD) and a high fracture risk. We hypothesized that patients with early steroid withdrawal (ESW) would display a gain in BMD in the year following kidney transplantation, when compared with patients on long-term corticosteroid therapy.

Methods:

In a cohort of kidney transplant recipients, 356 patients were included between 2012 and 2019. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed 1 and 12 months after transplantation. The data were analyzed using linear regression with inverse probability-of-treatment weighting (based on a propensity score).

Results:

At 1 year after transplantation, the gain in BMD was significantly greater in recipients with ESW than in recipients on long-term corticosteroid therapy for the lumbar spine (+0.036 g/cm2, p < 0.001) and the femoral neck (+0.020 g/cm2, p = 0.035). Among patients with ESW, (i) none had osteoporosis, (ii) the percentage with normal BMD increased from 33.3% at month 1 to 54.4% at month 12, and (iii) the percentage with osteopenia fell from 56.2% to 45.6%. In patients undergoing long-term corticosteroid therapy, the fracture incidence was 13.5 per 1000 person-years. None of the patients in the ESW group experienced a fracture.

Conclusion:

ESW has a positive effect on bone in kidney transplant recipients.
Application of Mobile Technology for Disease and Treatment Monitoring of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Among Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review
Authors: Garg Nidhi , Arunan Shaima Kattungal , Arora Sandeep , Kaur Kiranjeet
Published: October 2020

Background:

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is an increasing health issue among pregnant women worldwide. Treatment of hyperglycemia during pregnancy improves outcomes for both mothers and infants. Effectively performing and reviewing self-monitoring of blood glucose is time-consuming for patients and care providers. In the modern era, most people having access to smartphones create opportunities for use of phone-based technologies to improve patient care in chronic diseases. This review aims to investigate the awareness and use of the smartphone application (app) with respect to management of GDM among pregnant women.

Materials and Methods:

Various relevant studies ( n = 522) from 3 databases named Pub Med, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were included. For this, the study involved designing of a 5-stage review framework, which included research question identification, identification of articles, article selection, data collection, and result reporting.

Results:

Initial search criteria used a combination of keywords, by which we found out 522 literatures from 3 databases. After screening the titles and abstracts, 249 articles were excluded due to duplicate literatures and 252 articles were excluded due to the following reasons: not relevant ( n = 172), editorial ( n = 43), not in English ( n = 7), and abstract only ( n = 30). Furthermore, 10 articles were excluded because apps such as MobiGuide, pregnant + app, and GDm health were not mentioned in these articles. A total of 11 articles were included for the final analysis.

Conclusion:

The mobile apps described in the present study (pregnant +, MobiGuide, and GDm health) provided personalized health care services, patient care improvement, and enhanced patient’s compliance toward blood glucose monitoring and treatment.
Understanding Consumer Enchantment via Paranormal Tourism: Part I—Conceptual Review
Authors: Drinkwater Kenneth , Massullo Brandon , Dagnall Neil , Laythe Brian , Boone Juliette , Houran James
Published: October 2020

Tourism-hospitality businesses sometimes market consumer experiences in terms of “enchantment,” although this phrase is often used vaguely or variously. Therefore, we approached the issue conceptually by examining prior research on the experience economy, extraordinary architectural experiences, and accounts of paranormal tourism. Our critical overview suggests that we are dealing with a phenomenon rooted in environment-person bidirectional (or enactive) effects. We subsequently argue for the term “situational-enchantment” to denote a distinct and progressive arousal state characterized by dis-ease or dissonance that facilitates a sense of connection or oneness with a “transcendent agency, ultimate reality, or Other.” An iterative Content Category Dictionary exercise based on target literature specifically mapped this hypothesized state in terms of five competing features: (a) Emotional, (b) Sensorial, (c) Timeless, (d) Rational, and (e) Transformative. We frame this phenomenology within Funder’s Realistic Accuracy Model, which we propose drives an epiphanic process involving attentional, perceptual, attributional, and social mechanisms. Our synthesis of the multidisciplinary literature in this domain helps to clarify the nature and relevance of enchantment as an individual difference that varies across people and is subject to a variety of contextual influences. Accordingly, we discuss how this hypothesized state can be manipulated to an extent within certain people by creating or reinforcing conditions that spur experiential and rational engagement with ambiguous or unexpected stimuli.