bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
When EGFR inhibitor meets autoimmune disease: Severe corneal complications in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after erlotinib treatment
Authors: Li Mengwei , Xiang Jun , Zhang Chaoran
Published: September 2020

Introduction:

To report the first case of severe corneal complications in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after receiving erlotinib treatment.

Case description:

A 51-year-old woman with Sjögren syndrome presented with persistent corneal epithelial defects, which did not respond to conservative therapies. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was being treated with erlotinib, a kind of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, for over 2 years. Cornea stromal melting and perforation were not avoided and a total of four penetrating keratoplasties were performed. Stable corneal surface was achieved after the erlotinib treatment was paused.

Conclusion:

This report, to the best of our knowledge, is the first description of severe ocular complications present in a patient with Sjögren syndrome after receiving the EGFR inhibitor. The underlying ocular or system diseases that were thought to be irrelevant upon receiving the EGFR inhibitors might negatively influence the tumor patients planning to take these kinds of targeted medication. Therefore, it is important to have eye examinations before and during the EGFR inhibitors treatment and supplement the relative contraindications (such as Sjögren syndrome) to EGFR inhibitor treatments as necessary.
Competition is Getting Real in Chinese TV: A Moment of Confrontation between Cctv and Hstv
Authors: Zhong Yong
Published: September 2020

China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Satellite Television (HST) have engaged in a moment of confrontation. The two networks have great stakes in that confrontation, and each has a lot to gain or to lose, including access to television utilities, reach to national audiences and share of the advertising market, not to mention the right to represent the viewers. I attempt to document that moment of confrontation in this paper. I begin with a brief review of existing knowledge about Chinese television, moving away from a propaganda monolith. I continue with a discussion of regional satellite television (STV) broadcasters aspiring to be a national force to he reckoned with. However, as I argue in the paper, capacity constraints and economic reality mean that there is a limit to what the STVs can do. I then proceed to a discussion of an exceptional case involving HSTV, a regional broadcaster based in an underdeveloped inland province of China. I will describe the smart commercial cycle accomplished by the STV, best exemplified by the success of a talent quest show known as Super Girls. The model provided a passage to the survival of HSTV, but by doing so it also unnerved CCTV, the ailing empire of television in China. Towards the end of the paper, I discuss the reactions of CCTV, which apparently bordered on desperation and despair. I use the confrontation to reiterate that Chinese television is changing drastically and that it is high time for the political television establishment to learn to put up with the new commercially operated broadcasters.
The Role of Talkback Radio in Hong Kong and Singapore: An Initial Exploration
Authors: Fitzgerald Richard
Published: September 2020

Politicians increasingly treat radio talkback as a valuable resource through which to communicate directly with the public. Whilst research has examined the role of talkback in the public sphere in the United States. United Kingdom and recently Australia, little is known about the use of talkback in Asia. This paper begins an initial examination of the role of talkback in Singapore and Hong Kong as a vehicle for public opinion and political engagement by those who produce and host the programs.
Encountering Space, Places and Memories in Australian Landscapes
Authors: Veronesi Francesca , Gemeinboeck Petra
Published: September 2020

Mapping Footprints: Lost Geographies in Australian Landscapes is a research project in development that explores the relational qualities of places and contemporary perceptions of geography. It reflects on new mapping technologies that have the capacity to reinstate relations between subjects and places via a spatial exploration that engages with inventive and specific uses of location sensing technologies informed by physical and cultural contexts. The Elvina rock engravings in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park are the site of a location-sensitive sound installation in which we integrate the specificities of landscape with a navigational medium. A sonic map is overlayed over the physical terrain, opening up the site as a place embedded with memories, creating the potential for spontaneous exploration and new understandings of place. The ‘map’ in Mapping Footprints is composed from the geographical narration of the cartographers’ exploration across Indigenous mediascapes.
Changing Newsroom Culture by Putting Readers First: How Australian Journalists Reacted to a Corporate Change Program
Authors: Ewart Jacqui
Published: September 2020

This article explores the attitudes of journalists towards the introduction of a corporate-change program in the newsrooms of 14 regional daily newspapers in Australia. It draws data from a survey of journalists working for one of Australia's largest regional media corporations, Australian Provincial Newspapers. The article examines the journalists' attitudes towards the change effort, a year and a half after its introduction. The program had two over-arching aims. The first was to bring about a change in the relationship between journalists and their communities; the second was to get the journalists to use more ‘real’ or ordinary people as news sources. The study found that support for the corporate-change program remained high in the 18-month period between its introduction and the survey.
Publishing the Perished: The Visibility of Foreign Death in Australian Quality Newspapers
Authors: Hanusch Folker
Published: September 2020

The issue of media coverage of death has been under discussion by only a few scholars, and there have existed some disagreements as to just how present death is in public discourse in the Western world. This study adds to the literature on death by investigating the Australian media context. Specifically, it examines how journalists at two Australian quality newspapers, The Australian and the Sydney Morning Herald, cover death in their foreign news reporting. It finds that journalists express preferences for certain types of death, as well as for certain nationalities. Further, it sheds some light on just how visible death is in the news by arguing that, while present in the written word, the visual representation of death is still highly marginalised.
Wireless Technologies and Cultures: Towards an Agenda for Research
Authors: Gregg Melissa , Goggin Gerard
Published: September 2020

Governments and big business tout the affordances of new technologies, but there is little research available that tells us why wireless connectivity should be or is desirable, or shows that its benefits have fully been established. In our minds, wireless technologies and cultures have not been given the sustained attention they deserve. Informed by these concerns, our hope is that this special issue, which follows on from a 2006 workshop sponsored by the ‘Cultural Technologies’ node of the ARC Cultural Research Network, will promote debate and further research into wireless technologies and cultures in the Australian and New Zealand regions.
Changing Newsroom Culture by Putting Readers First: How Australian Journalists Reacted to a Corporate Change Program
Authors: Ewart Jacqui
Published: September 2020

This article explores the attitudes of journalists towards the introduction of a corporate-change program in the newsrooms of 14 regional daily newspapers in Australia. It draws data from a survey of journalists working for one of Australia's largest regional media corporations, Australian Provincial Newspapers. The article examines the journalists ‘attitudes towards the change effort, a year and a half after its introduction. The program had two over-arching aims. The first was to bring about a change in the relationship between journalists and their communities; the second was to get the journalists to use more ‘real’ or ordinary people as news sources. The study found that support for the corporate-change program remained high in the 18-month period between its introduction and the survey.
Effectiveness of theory-based digital self-management interventions for improving depression, anxiety, fatigue and self-efficacy in people with neurological disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lau Stephen CL , Bhattacharjya Sutanuka , Fong Mandy WM , Nicol Ginger E , Lenze Eric J , Baum Carolyn , Hardi Angela , Wong Alex WK
Published: September 2020

Introduction

This study aimed to (a) review what theories have been applied to the development of digital self-management interventions for people with neurological disorders; (b) examine their effectiveness to improve depression, anxiety, fatigue and self-efficacy; and (c) identify the optimal mode of intervention delivery.

Methods

Electronic databases (SCOPUS, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Clinicaltrials.gov) were searched. Two investigators independently screened studies and extracted data. Study quality and use of theory were also assessed.

Results

A total of 944 studies were screened, and 16 randomised controlled trials were included. Theory-based digital self-management interventions were effective in reducing depression (standardised mean difference (SMD) = –0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) –1.04 to –0.49), anxiety (SMD = –0.88, 95% CI –1.54 to –0.21) and fatigue (SMD = –0.62, 95% CI –0.96 to –0.27) and in enhancing self-efficacy (SMD = 1.15, 95% CI 0.11–2.18). Cognitive–behavioural theory (CBT)-based interventions were effective in reducing depression (SMD = –0.81, 95% CI –1.22 to –0.39), anxiety (SMD = –1.15, 95% CI –1.85 to –0.44) and fatigue (SMD = –0.75, 95% CI –0.97 to –0.54) and in improving self-efficacy (SMD = 0.84, 95% CI 0.63–1.05), whereas social cognitive theory (SCT)-based interventions were effective in reducing depression (SMD = –0.73, 95% CI –1.17 to –0.28). Partially digital interventions were more effective than fully digital interventions.

Discussion

Our findings support the use of theory to guide the development of digital self-management interventions to increase intervention effectiveness. In particular, CBT-based interventions have a positive impact on depression, anxiety, fatigue and self-efficacy, whereas SCT-based interventions have a positive impact on depression.
Patients transferred within a telestroke network for large-vessel occlusion
Authors: Reddy Sujan T , Savitz Sean I , Friedman Elliott , Arevalo Octavio , Zhang Jing , Ankrom Christy , Trevino Alyssa , Wu Tzu-Ching
Published: September 2020

Introduction

In a telestroke network, patients at a referring hospital (RH) with large-vessel occlusion (LVO) are transferred to a comprehensive stroke centre (CSC) for endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). However, a significant number of patients do not ultimately undergo thrombectomy after CSC arrival.

Methods

Within a 17-hospital telestroke network, we retrospectively analysed patients with suspected or confirmed LVO transferred to a CSC, and characterized the reasons why these patients did not undergo EVT based on the 2019 American Heart Association guidelines.

Results

Of 400 patients transferred to our hub, 68 (17%) were based on vascular imaging at RH. Time from RH arrival to neuroimaging was significantly longer in patients that underwent both computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography of the brain and neck compared to only CT of the brain (53 vs 13 minutes, p < 0.05). Accuracy of anterior circulation LVO (ACLVO) detection based on clinical suspicion was 62% (205 of 332 patients). Among 234 ACLVO patients, overall, 175 (74%) (early window group: 123 (73%) patients and late window group: 52 (80%) patients) met at least one EVT ineligibility criterion. The reasons for EVT ineligibility varied from large core infarct (aspects <6 or core volume >70 cc on perfusion imaging in late window), low National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (<6), distal occlusion, and poor baseline modified Rankin Scale score (>1).

Discussion

Instituting rapid acquisition and interpretation of vascular imaging at RHs for LVO detection and establishing benchmarks for door to vascular imaging is urgently needed for RHs.
‘I’m just with the guys and we’re having a laugh’: Exploring normative masculinity in a lap-dancing club setting, as a heteronormative space
Authors: Colosi Rachela
Published: September 2020

Drawing upon findings from an ethnographic study of lap-dancing club customers, and those generated from desk-based research which examined lap-dancing club websites and promotional materials, this article will argue that the lap-dancing club is a heteronormative space, in which male customers practice normative masculinity. In exploring normative masculinity, this article will draw upon the work of Connell (1995) , to demonstrate how different normative masculine practices are evident in the different attendance patterns of lap-dancing club customers. Overall, the findings discussed in this article make two important assertions, in support of Connell’s work. First, that masculinity is fluid, and context dependent; men can enact different versions of masculinity in different social spaces and situations. Second, normative masculine practices are pervasive, and encouraged, aided through heteronormative spaces such as lap-dancing clubs.
Introduction of a ROTEM protocol for the management of trauma-induced coagulopathy
Authors: Spagnolello Ornella , J Reed Matthew , Dauncey Steve , Timony-Nolan Emer , Innes Catherine , Allen Jennifer MM , Williams Michael J , Church Nick , Dunn Mark JG , Blackstock Caroline , Nimmo Alastair F
Published: September 2020

Aims

Point-of-care viscoelastic tests such as rotational thrombelastometry (ROTEM) and thromboelastography (TEG) give rapid information on the kinetics of clot formation, clot strength and fibrinolysis. We developed a ROTEM algorithm for the management of trauma patients at risk of massive haemorrhage using either 5 or 10 minute EXTEM and FIBTEM ROTEM thresholds. Study aims were (a) to compare time to results for ROTEM testing versus laboratory conventional coagulation testing (CCT) and (b) to compare incidence of Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) for our 5 and 10 minute ROTEM algorithms versus both the CCT-based European guideline algorithm and the ROTEM-based iTACTIC study algorithm, in both MT and non-MT patients.

Methods

Single centre, prospective, observational Emergency Department based study. All trauma patients who underwent ROTEM testing were included. Data was collected from the ROTEM Sigma machine and hospital Electronic Patient Records and analysed.

Results

Between April 2016 and May 2019, 57 trauma patients were enrolled. Mean age was 47.4 years (SD 19.4) and 44 patients (77.2%) were male. Eleven patients (19.3%) required massive transfusion (MT), 5 patients died in ED (8.8%) and overall in-hospital mortality was 22.8% (n = 13). Median time from admission to CCT result was 83 minutes (IQR 60–93) compared to 51 minutes (IQR 32-93; p = 0.0006) for ROTEM A5 results. This time difference was present for both MT and non-MT patients. Trauma-induced coagulopathy (TIC) was identified in 14 (24.5%) patients using CCT compared to 22 (38.5%) using ROTEM (p = 0.11 ns).

Conclusion

Our ROTEM Sigma based algorithm enables a coagulation result to be obtained faster than laboratory CCT and could lead to earlier clinical intervention.
A modern accumulation? The intricacies of enclosure, dispossession and cultural production in Venezuela’s Gran Sabana
Authors: Angosto-Ferrandez Luis
Published: September 2020

In Gran Sabana (southern Venezuela), an ongoing process of enclosure is transforming property rights over lands previously treated as common pool resource by the indigenous Pemon. Members of the Pemon communities in which land is being enclosed participate actively in this process through the development of tourist projects. This process reflects a different configuration of forces than those Marx associated with ‘primitive accumulation’. It shows that dispossession can also be articulated by subjects who in principle do not appear as conventional power holders and who, furthermore, are themselves exposed to ongoing threats of dispossession. Additionally, enclosures take place amidst discursive manoeuvring that contributes to situating Gran Sabana as a centre of differential rent-capture for tourist operators and landowners. The term ‘modern accumulation’ will be used to conceptualise this form of accumulation and to discuss its applications.
Social studies in early childhood education and care: A scoping review focusing on diversity
Authors: Rosenberg Anette Ringen
Published: September 2020

Currently, little research exists on social studies within the context of Norwegian early childhood education and care, and how early childhood teachers work to familiarise children with social studies contexts . This article is a scoping literature review offering a preliminary research agenda. Its aim is to explore the ways in which the early childhood teacher can work to ensure young learners’ social studies education with a specific focus on cultural diversity and subsequent educational challenges. The research question guiding the article asks: How does previous educational research show that early childhood teachers can use social studies to address diversity with and amongst children? The analysis uncovers 4 scopes of research across 26 international and national studies. Previous research has contributed with knowledge in the areas of cultural diversity, anti-discrimination, human rights, and community and society as a means to familiarise children with diversity and related matters. Each scope addresses the knowledge status and opportunities for future research within each area. Based on the analysis, the author discusses the critical educational challenge of a paradox in familiarising children with diversity, where the early childhood teacher risks conveying biased information and stereotypical views, and highlighting cultures in discriminatory ways.
Procedure for non-smooth contact for planar flexible beams with cone complementarity problem
Authors: Yu Xinxin , Matikainen Marko K , Harish Ajay B , Mikkola Aki
Published: September 2020

Contact description plays an important role in modeling of applications involving flexible multibody dynamics. Example of such applications include contact between a belt and pulley, crash-worthiness analysis in aerospace and automotive engineering. Approaches such as the linear complementarity problem (LCP), nonlinear complementarity problem (NCP) and penalty method have been proposed for contact detection and imposition of contact constraints. Contact description within multibody dynamics, however, continues to be a challenging topic, particularly in the case of flexible bodies. This paper describes and compares the use of two contact descriptions in the framework of flexible multibody dynamics; (1) the use of nonlinear cone complementarity approach (CCP) and (2) the penalty method. Both contact models are presented together with a master-slave detection algorithm. The modified form of node-to-node approach presented facilitates creation of pseudo-nodes where gap function can be calculated. This reduces the cumbersome effort of contact search. Since large deformations can be an important phenomenon in flexible multibody applications, beam elements based on the absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF) are implemented in this study. To make a comparison of two approaches, the damping component is included in the penalty method by using the continuous contact model introduced by Hunt and Crossley. Numerical results are based on the simulation of ANCF beam contact with rigid ground, rigid body with an arbitrary shape and pendulum contact. Although kinematic results show a good agreement between both approaches when the coefficient of restitution is zero, the unphysical interpenetration appears in the penalty method. Nonlinear minimization problem solved by CCP approach helps to prevent the penetration during contact event. Furthermore, the proposed contact detection algorithm is proved to be capable of being used for multiple contact between beam and arbitrary shape rigid body; different contact types, such as side-by-side and corner-by-side, can be performed without prediction.
Predictors of job burnout among fieldwork supervisors of social work students
Authors: Malka Menny , Kaspi-Baruch Oshrit , Segev Einav
Published: September 2020

In the helping professions, professional burnout is widely acknowledged to play a key role in work retention and turnover. However, although the literature on fieldwork education in social work engages with the importance of continuity and commitment regarding the role of fieldwork supervisor, the effects of job burnout are under-researched. Furthermore, there is also a gap in the literature with respect to the internal factors that contextualize burnout and retention among fieldwork supervisors. Against this background, the objective of the present study was to examine the factors that predict professional burnout among fieldwork supervisors in Israel. Questionnaires measuring burnout, as well as several internal explanatory factors for burnout—career identity, work significance, and personality traits—were used.

Findings

The findings of the study indicated that career identity, together with the personality characteristics of agreeableness and consciousness predict burnout negatively, while neuroticism positively predicts burnout.

Applications

The article discusses these findings in light of resource conservation and existential theories of burnout, as well as the potential implications for practice and policy.
Participating in social exclusion: A reflexive account of collaborative research and researcher identities in the field
Authors: Newitt Simon , Thomas Nigel Patrick
Published: September 2020

This paper offers a critical reflexive perspective on a Participatory Action Research project with young people at a site of ‘advanced urban marginality’ ( Wacquant, 2008 ). Its purpose is to explore the ways in which habitus based inequalities in the research field ( Bourdieu, 1977 ) contributed to a parallel process of marginalisation and exclusion in the act of participating. More specifically, we examine how a particular professional academic research identity and taxonomy of participatory social research, animated by a benign intent, nonetheless exerted an ideological form of control over the enquiry, administering and recycling feelings of failure and marginalisation among participants - including the ‘professional’ researcher. To draw out the different ways this control took form, our analysis centres on a particular exchange within the group concerned with the distribution of a one-off financial stipend to participants. We endeavour to draw some conceptual insights in our exploration of this exchange, and in conclusion offer some ideas for a ‘good enough’ practice of action research undertaken in comparable socio-economic and psycho-cultural conditions.
Relationship Change, Network Change, and the Use of Single Name Generators in Longitudinal Research on Social Support
Authors: Marin Alexandra , Dubash Soli
Published: September 2020

As relationships change and people change the kinds of support they provide, name generators that collect information about ties that provide particular kinds of support at repeated points of time may not effectively capture ties that are active but whose roles have changed. This article shows that a significant minority of network members change the kinds of support they provide. They either discontinue a support previously provided or provide a new type of support. We examine the implications of this finding for longitudinal studies of support networks based on single name generators and show that this practice can result in frequent misperceptions of network membership change.
Contrast effects of autophagy in the treatment of bladder cancer
Authors: Konac Ece , Kurman Yener , Baltaci Sümer
Published: September 2020

Bladder cancer is a disease that negatively affects patients’ quality of life, but treatment options have remained unchanged for a long time. Although promising results have been achieved with current bladder cancer treatments, cancer recurrence, progression, and therapy resistance are the most severe problems preventing the efficiency of bladder cancer treatments. Autophagy refers to an evolutionarily conserved catabolic process in which proteins, damaged organelles, and cytoplasmic components are degraded by lysosomal enzymes. Autophagy regulates the therapeutic response to the chemotherapy drugs, thus determining the effect of therapy on cancer cells. Autophagy is a stress-induced cell survival mechanism and its excessive stimulation can cause resistance of tumor cells to therapeutic agents. Depending on the conditions, an increase in autophagy may cause treatment resistance or autophagic cell death, and it is related to important anti-cancer mechanisms, such as apoptosis. Therefore, understanding the roles of autophagy under different conditions is important for designing effective anti-cancer agents. The dual role of autophagy in cancer has attracted considerable attention in respect of bladder cancer treatment. In this review, we summarize the basic characteristics of autophagy, including its mechanisms, regulation, and functions, and we present examples from current studies concerning the dual role of autophagy in bladder cancer progression and therapy.
Venous sinus stenting as a treatment approach in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension and encephaloceles
Authors: Drocton Gerald T , Copelan Alexander , Eisenmenger Laura , Villanueva-Meyer Javier E , Dillon William P , Shah Vinil N , Meisel Karl , Amans Matthew
Published: September 2020

Background

Stenosis of a dural venous sinus is the most common cause of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) and can be classified as either intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic stenoses are characterized by a focal filling defect within the sinus secondary to an enlarged arachnoid granulation or fibrous septa while extrinsic stenoses tend to be long and smooth-tapered and are most commonly secondary to external compression from the adjacent brain parenchyma. Brain herniations, or encephaloceles, into arachnoid granulations in dural venous sinuses have rarely been reported in the literature in patients with IIH. We propose that dural venous sinus stenting (VSS) may be a safe and effective treatment approach in patients with an encephalocele and IIH.

Methods

We retrospectively analyze three cases of patients with encephalocele who underwent VSS for treatment of medically refractory IIH at our institution.

Results

One patient underwent stenting ipsilateral and two patients underwent stenting contralateral to the side of their encephaloceles. No technical related issues or complications occurred during either of the three stenting procedures. Two out of the three patients had complete resolution in their IIH-related symptoms and normalization of cerebrospinal (CSF) pressures shortly after stenting. We await clinical follow-up in the third patient.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that VSS is a technically feasible and effective approach in treating patients with medically refractory IIH and encephaloceles.
Progress in the study of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism
Authors: Yao Yuting , Xu Qixia
Published: September 2020

Objective

Venous thromboembolism is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and increased medical costs in tumor patients. In the current review, we summarize the progress made in the study of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism.

Methods

By searching cancer-associated venous thromboembolism-related literature on PubMed, the epidemiology, pathological mechanisms, risk factors, risk prediction models, and prevention and treatment of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism were reviewed.

Results

The pathophysiological mechanisms of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism are multifactorial. Various blood cell counts (such as platelets and white blood cells) and biomarkers (such as D-dimer and sP-selectin) were considered predictors of thrombosis in cancer patients and were incorporated into the venous thromboembolism risk stratification models. Thromboprophylaxis is currently recommended for all hospitalized cancer patients. In addition, outpatient thromboprophylaxis can be used for selected high-risk patients. Low-molecular-weight heparin was the preferred treatment for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism, but some issues arose in the long-term treatment. In this case, direct oral anticoagulants were a treatment option for tumor patients. The efficacy of direct oral anticoagulant in treating cancer patients is not inferior to low-molecular-weight heparin, but is associated with a higher risk of bleeding. Therefore, there were concerns regarding their safety.

Conclusion

Since thrombocytopenia, thrombosis recurrence, and bleeding are common in tumor patients, the selection of anticoagulants in this circumstance is a considerable challenge for clinicians.
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing endovascular revascularization: A community hospital perspective
Authors: Michael Gharacholou S , Li Zhuo , Uy Jonathan J , Eckstein Lee H , Flock Carolyn R , Senger Joshua L , Gutierrez Jorge F Trejo , Chapman Scott C
Published: September 2020

Background

There are limited data on outcomes for patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing endovascular revascularization by multi-disciplinary teams in a community hospital setting.

Methods

From January 2015 through December 2015, we assembled a multi-disciplinary program comprised of cardiologists, surgeons, radiologists, nurses, and administrative staff for managing patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing endovascular revascularization. Demographic, procedural, and outcomes data were collected with use of a template from the Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative database. We compared characteristics and outcomes of patients with intermittent claudication and critical limb ischemia. We used Kaplan–Meier methods to estimate the rate of overall survival and freedom from rehospitalization between groups.

Results

After excluding patients with acute limb ischemia ( n = 5), peripheral intervention to the upper extremity ( n = 6), or abdominal aorta ( n = 11), there were 82 patients in the study cohort; 45 had intermittent claudication and 37 had critical limb ischemia. Baseline and procedural characteristics were similar between groups, although critical limb ischemia patients were more likely to have hyperlipidemia (75.7% vs. 53.3%, P = .42). Procedural success was achieved in 91.3% of cases. Actionable access site bleeding occurred in 2.4% of patients. High rates of aspirin (91.5%) and statin (87.8%) were noted at discharge. After two years of post endovascular revascularization, survival was 57.5% for critical limb ischemia patients and 94.4% for intermittent claudication patients ( P < .001). Freedom from rehospitalization was 32.7% for critical limb ischemia patients and 83.5% for intermittent claudication patients ( P < .001).

Conclusions

We found that favorable outcomes may be achieved with a multi-disciplinary peripheral artery disease program at community hospitals. The incorporation of quality improvement practices may further help to develop standardized and regionalized approaches to care delivery for patients with peripheral artery disease.
Machine learning-based automated phenotyping of inflammatory nocifensive behavior in mice
Authors: Wotton Janine M , Peterson Emma , Anderson Laura , Murray Stephen A , Braun Robert E , Chesler Elissa J , White Jacqueline K , Kumar Vivek
Published: September 2020

The discovery and development of new and potentially nonaddictive pain therapeutics requires rapid, yet clinically relevant assays of nociception in preclinical models. A reliable and scalable automated scoring system for nocifensive behavior of mice in the formalin assay would dramatically lower the time and labor costs associated with experiments and reduce experimental variability. Here, we present a method that exploits machine learning techniques for video recordings that consists of three components: key point detection, per frame feature extraction using these key points, and classification of behavior using the GentleBoost algorithm. This approach to automation is flexible as different model classifiers or key points can be used with only small losses in accuracy. The adopted system identified the behavior of licking/biting of the hind paw with an accuracy that was comparable to a human observer (98% agreement) over 111 different short videos (total 284 min) at a resolution of 1 s. To test the system over longer experimental conditions, the responses of two inbred strains, C57BL/6NJ and C57BL/6J, were recorded over 90 min post formalin challenge. The automated system easily scored over 80 h of video and revealed strain differences in both response timing and amplitude. This machine learning scoring system provides the required accuracy, consistency, and ease of use that could make the formalin assay a feasible choice for large-scale genetic studies.
Scapholunate injuries: challenging existing dogmas in anatomy and surgical techniques
Authors: Mathoulin Christophe , Merlini Lorenzo , Taleb Chihab
Published: September 2020

The management of scapholunate injuries and dissociation remains debatable. Traditional methods of fixation had centred around open procedures, but advances in wrist arthroscopic techniques has redefined both major anatomical findings and operative approaches. This article challenges two main existing dogmas: first, the anatomy of the scapholunate ligament and second, the management of these injuries. For the first, we propose that scapholunate stability is in fact maintained by a whole anatomic complex, consisting of well-defined capsuloligamentous structures and extrinsic ligaments, and that the scapholunate ligament itself probably has a limited role. For the second, we challenge the notion that scapholunate injuries often require open procedures and propose that mini-invasive arthroscopic dorsal repair of the scapholunate complex is an efficient technique and sufficient for achieving long-term stability.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of alternative colon cancer screening strategies in the context of the French national screening program
Authors: Barré Stéphanie , Leleu Henri , Benamouzig R. , Saurin Jean-Christophe , Vimont Alexandre , Taleb Sabrine , De Bels Frédéric
Published: September 2020

Background:

A nationwide colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program was set up in France from 2009 for average-risk, asymptomatic people aged 50–74 years based on an immunochemical fecal occult blood test [faecal immunochemical test (FIT)] every 2 years, followed by colonoscopy if positive. The European standard recommends a participation rate of 45% for the program to be cost-effective, yet the latest published rate in France was 34%. The objective of this study was to compare the cost effectiveness of screening alternatives taking real-world participation rates into account.

Methods:

Eight screening strategies were compared, based either on a screening test (Guaiac or FIT testing, blood-based, stool DNA, computed tomography colonography, colon capsules, and sigmoidoscopy) followed by full colonoscopy if positive or direct colonoscopy. A microsimulation model was used to estimate the cost effectiveness associated with each strategy.

Results:

Compared with no screening, FIT was associated with a 14.0 quality-adjusted life year (QALY) increase of €50,520 per 1000 individuals, giving an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of €3600/QALY. Only stool DNA and blood-based testing were associated with a QALY increase compared with FIT, with stool DNA weakly dominated by blood-based testing, and the latter associated with an ICER of €154,600/QALY compared with FIT. All other strategies were dominated by FIT.

Conclusion:

FIT every 2 years appears to be the most cost-effective CRC screening strategy when taking into account a real-world participation rate of 34%.
Factors affecting biomechanical strength of Latarjet constructs: A systematic review and meta-regression
Authors: Huish Jr Eric G , Kelly Shayne R , Cutter Brenden M
Published: September 2020

Background

The Latarjet procedure reduces recurrent glenohumeral instability but has potential hardware and graft complications. The procedure has been modified to use various screw types as well as suture buttons. Biomechanical studies have evaluated the effect of these implants on construct strength. With varying results it is unclear whether there is an optimal implant to use.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of human cadaveric biomechanical studies evaluating Latarjet ultimate failure load. Two independent reviewers screened articles and included them after full text review. Additional factors including implants used, graft orientation, cortices engaged, drill diameter, and screw characteristics were recorded. Meta-regression was performed on the 145 specimens from eight studies that met inclusion criteria.

Results

Screw fixation resulted in a 396.8 N (95% CI, 149.8–643.7) N higher ultimate failure load against shear stresses than suture buttons (p = 0.002). There were no differences between implants for ultimate failure load against tensile forces. Tensile strength was significantly affected by drill diameter with each millimeter of increase reducing the mean ultimate failure load by 127.4 N (95% CI, 41.2–213.6) N (p = 0.004).

Conclusions

These results suggest that using screw fixation and minimizing drill diameter can obtain the maximum ultimate failure load against both shear and tensile forces in a Latarjet construct.
Prognostic and clinicopathological value of Ki-67 expression in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a meta-analysis
Authors: Shi Zhaohui , Jiang Weihong , Chen Xiaodong , Xu Min , Wang Xiaocheng , Zha Dingjun
Published: September 2020

Background:

This meta-analysis aimed to identify the prognostic role of Ki-67 in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods:

Relevant studies were retrieved in the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases up to November 2019. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the association between Ki-67 expression and survival outcomes. Combined odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were measured as effect size on the association between Ki-67 expression and clinical factors.

Results:

A total of eight studies involving 936 patients with NPC were included in this meta-analysis. The pooled HR indicated that Ki-67 expression was significantly associated with poor overall survival (HR = 2.86, 95% CI = 1.91–4.27, p < 0.001), progression-free survival (HR = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.15–2.74, p = 0.009), and distant metastasis-free survival (HR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.15–2.36, p = 0.007). However, there was no significant correlation between Ki-67 expression and local recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.54–2.14, p = 0.843). Ki-67 overexpression was associated with higher T stage (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.00–2.20, p = 0.052), and the relationship between Ki-67 expression and advanced stage was nearly significant (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 0.99–5.14, p = 0.054). However, high Ki-67 expression was not significantly correlated with sex, age, N stage, or histological type.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis demonstrated that Ki-67 overexpression was a significant marker for poor prognosis in patients with NPC. Ki-67 should be recommended as a useful index for prognostication in patients with NPC.
The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage I–III male breast cancer: a SEER-based analysis
Authors: Li Wei-Ping , Gao Hong-Fei , Ji Fei , Zhu Teng , Cheng Min-Yi , Yang Mei , Yang Ci-Qiu , Zhang Liu-Lu , Li Jie-Qing , Zhang Jun-Sheng , Wang Kun
Published: September 2020

Background and aims:

Male breast cancer is an uncommon disease. The benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of male breast cancer patients has not been determined. The aim of this study was to explore the value of adjuvant chemotherapy in men with stage I–III breast cancer, and we hypothesized that some male patients may safely skip adjuvant chemotherapy.

Methods:

Male breast cancer patients between 2010 and 2015 from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database were included. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to analyse the factors associated with survival. The propensity score matching method was adopted to balance baseline characteristics. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to evaluate the impacts of adjuvant chemotherapy on survival. The primary endpoint was survival.

Results:

We enrolled 514 patients for this study, including 257 patients treated with chemotherapy and 257 patients without. There was a significant difference in overall survival (OS) but not in breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) between the two groups ( p < 0.001 for OS and p = 0.128 for BCSS, respectively). Compared with the non-chemotherapy group, the chemotherapy group had a higher 4-year OS rate (97.5% versus 95.2%, p < 0.001), while 4-year BCSS was similar (98% versus 98.8%, p = 0.128). The chemotherapy group had longer OS than the non-chemotherapy group among HR+, HER2–, tumour size >2 cm, lymph node-positive male breast cancer patients ( p < 0.05). Regardless of tumour size, there were no differences in OS or BCSS between the chemotherapy and non-chemotherapy cohorts for lymph node-negative patients (OS: p > 0.05, BCSS: p > 0.05). Adjuvant chemotherapy showed no signiﬁcant effects on both OS and BCSS in patients with stage I (OS: p = 0.100, BCSS: p = 0.858) and stage IIA breast cancer (OS: p > 0.05, BCSS: p > 0.05).

Conclusion:

For stage I and stage IIA patients, adjuvant chemotherapy could not improve OS and BCSS. Therefore, adjuvant chemotherapy might be skipped for stage I and stage IIA male breast cancer patients.
Images, Politicians, and Social Media: Patterns and Effects of Politicians’ Image-Based Political Communication Strategies on Social Media
Authors: Farkas Xénia , Bene Márton
Published: September 2020

Although images have always been part of politics, research on the visual aspects of political communication recently gained momentum, especially with the spread of social media–based political communication. However, there are still several significant research gaps in this field. The aim of this article is to identify and compare the patterns and effects of Hungarian politicians’ ( n = 51) image-based communication on Facebook ( n = 2,992) and Instagram ( n = 868) during the Hungarian parliamentary election campaign in 2018. By doing so, we shed light on two important dimensions of personalization: individualization and privatization. This work is designed to fill three gaps in the literature. We argue that existing research of visual political communication (1) treats images predominantly as illustrations, (2) is limited to single-platform studies, and (3) does not investigate the engagement effects of images. To move beyond these limitations, this study investigates images as objects of interest on their own; it adopts a cross-platform comparative approach and examines the engagement effects of visual cues by applying a combination of inductive and deductive qualitative content analysis. Our results show that images are often used to personalize communication. While on Facebook the individualization dimension of personalization is more common and popular, on Instagram its privatization dimension prevails. Furthermore, on Facebook, users like more politics-related candidate-centered images, but on Instagram we could not find similar effects for more informal visuals.
Cultural Differences in the Construal of Suffering and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Ji Li-Jun , Khei Mark , Yap Suhui , Wang Xinqiang , Zhang Zhiyong , Hou Yubo
Published: September 2020

The present research examines how suffering is construed across cultures. Study 1 ( N 1 = 264; N 2 = 745) asked participants to provide free associations for suffering. Chinese individuals generated more positive associations than did Euro-Canadians. Study 2 ( N = 522) had participants create a hypothetical potion of suffering to represent what people would experience while suffering. Chinese participants added more positive ingredients and fewer negative ingredients than Euro-Canadians did. How would cultural differences in the construal of suffering matter in a real-life negative situation? Study 3 ( N = 608) showed that Chinese participants generated a greater proportion of potential positive outcomes for the COVID-19 outbreak and reported more positive affect during the pandemic than did Euro-Canadians. Thus, Chinese construe suffering more positively than Euro-Canadians. These findings are consistent with previous research on cultural differences in dialectical thinking and lay theory of change and have implications for coping and resilience.
An unexpected recovery of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia: a case series
Authors: Scuri Piermario , Iacovoni Attilio , Abete Raffaele , Cereda Alberto , Grosu Aurelia , Senni Michele
Published: September 2020

Since the beginning of the SARS‐CoV‐2 outbreak, few cases of COVID‐19 pneumonia in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension have been reported. We present four patients with known history of PAH admitted to our hospital with SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia to analyze the impact of this disease on their clinical outcome.
Improvement of nutritional intake for the low-income urban dwellers with hypertension in Malaysia
Authors: Azizan Nurul Ain , Majid Hazreen Abdul , Nahar Mohamed Azmi , Su Tin Tin
Published: September 2020

Objective:

To ascertain the effect of dietary practice modification and a peer-support home blood pressure monitoring program on the nutritional intake (macronutrients and micronutrients), blood pressure and biochemical profiles of hypertension patients in a low-income community setting.

Methods:

This is a pre- and post-measurement intervention study conducted in low-income community housing projects in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 90 participants aged 18 years and above with hypertension received intervention. The participants were divided into small groups and received instructions on the use of home blood pressure measurement. They also attended a series of talks on dietary intake modification and exercise demonstration for the first six months (active phase). In another 6 months (maintenance phase), they received only pamphlet and SMS reminders. Their anthropometry, blood pressure, dietary, and biochemical parameter changes were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months of intervention.

Results:

Macronutrients and micronutrients showed a significant improvement at the end of 12-month dietary intervention. The energy, carbohydrate, protein, total fat, sodium, and potassium are showing significant reduction from baseline to end of the 12-month intervention. There is no significant reduction in blood pressure. Fasting blood glucose, renal sodium, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol showed a significant improvement, after controlling for age and reported physical activity.

Conclusion:

The intervention improved the nutritional intake and biochemical profiles of the low-income urban population with hypertension. This promising result should be replicated in a larger scale study.