bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prediction of species composition ratios in pooled specimens of the Anopheles Hyrcanus group using quantitative sequencing
Authors: Lee Do Eun , Kim Heung-Chul , Chong Sung-Tae , Klein Terry A. , Kim Ju Hyeon , Lee Si Hyeock
Published: August 2021

Background

Plasmodium vivax is transmitted by members of the Anopheles Hyrcanus Group that includes six species in the Republic of Korea: Anopheles sinensis sensu stricto (s.s.), Anopheles pullus, Anopheles kleini, Anopheles belenrae, Anopheles lesteri, and Anopheles sineroides. Individual Anopheles species within the Hyrcanus Group demonstrate differences in their geographical distributions, vector competence and insecticide resistance, making it crucial for accurate species identification. Conventional species identification conducted using individual genotyping (or barcoding) based on species-specific molecular markers requires extensive time commitment and financial resources.

Results

A population-based quantitative sequencing (QS) protocol developed in this study provided a rapid estimate of species composition ratios among pooled mosquitoes as a cost-effective alternative to individual genotyping. This can be accomplished by using species- or group-specific nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and the ribosomal RNA internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region as species identification alleles in a two-step prediction protocol. Standard genomic DNA fragments of COI and ITS2 genes were amplified from each Anopheles species using group-specific universal primer sets. Following sequencing of the COI or ITS2 amplicons generated from sets of standard DNA mixtures, equations were generated via linear regression to predict species-specific nucleotide sequence frequencies at different positions. Species composition ratios between An. sineroides, An. pullus and An. lesteri were estimated from QS of the COI amplicons based on the mC.260A, mC.122C and mC.525C alleles at the first step, followed by the prediction of species composition ratios between An. sinensis, An. kleini and An. belenrae based on QS of the ITS2 amplicons using the rI.370G and rI.389T alleles. The COI copy number was not significantly different between species, suggesting the reliability of COI-based prediction. In contrast, ITS2 showed a slightly but significantly higher copy number in An. belenrae, requiring an adjustment of its predicted composition ratio. A blind test proved that predicted species composition ratios either from pooled DNA specimens or pooled mosquito specimens were not statistically different from the actual values, demonstrating that the QS-based prediction is accurate and reliable.

Conclusions

This two-step prediction protocol will facilitate rapid estimation of the species composition ratios in field-collected Anopheles Hyrcanus Group populations and is particularly useful for studying the vector ecology of Anopheles population and epidemiology of malaria.
Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 alleviates monosodium iodoacetate-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in chondrocytes via inhibiting aquaporin 4 expression
Authors: Pan Lingxiao , Ding Wei , Li Jie , Gan Kaifeng , Shen Yandong , Xu Junxiang , Zheng Minzhe
Published: August 2021

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a common cause of disability among the elderly. We aimed to explore the effects of aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) 2 on the progression of KOA and identifying the potential mechanisms.

Methods

First, ALDH2 expression in knee joint effusion of patients with KOA and the levels of oxidative stress-related markers were determined. After ALDH2 overexpression in monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-treated SW1353 cells, cell viability was tested with CCK-8 assay. Subsequently, oxidative stress and inflammation-associated factors were measured. Meanwhile, cell apoptosis was assessed with TUNEL staining and expression of apoptosis-related proteins was detected by western blotting. To analyze the mechanism of ALDH2 in KOA, aquaporin 4 (AQP4) expression was determined using western blotting following ALDH2-upregulation. Subsequently, AQP4 was overexpressed to evaluate the changing of oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in SW1353 cells exposed to MIA with ALDH2 overexpression.

Results

Results indicated that knee joint effusion with higher ALDH2 expression displayed lower oxidative stress. In addition, significantly upregulated ALDH2 expression was observed in MIA-treated SW1353 cells. ALDH2 overexpression oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in SW1353 cells exposed to MIA. Moreover, MIA-triggered elevated expression of AQP4, which was reduced by ALDH2 overexpression. By contrast, AQP4-upregulation abrogated the inhibitory effects of ALDH2 on oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis in MIA-induced SW1353 cells.

Conclusions

ALDH2 inactivates the expression of AQP4, by which mechanism the MIA-induced oxidative stress, inflammation and apoptosis injuries were alleviated, which provides a novel insight for understanding the mechanism of KOA and a promising target for the treatment of this disease.
Molecular characterization of a ceftriaxone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain found in Switzerland: a case report
Authors: Egli Konrad , Roditscheff Anna , Flückiger Ursula , Risch Martin , Risch Lorenz , Bodmer Thomas
Published: August 2021

Background

The resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae to ceftriaxone is unusual in Switzerland. The underlying genotype responsible for resistance is suspected to be novel. Generally, resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) involves a comprehensive set of genes with many different mutations leading to resistance to different β-lactams and fluoroquinolones.

Case presentation

A patient had a positive result from specific PCR for Ng. We routinely culture all clinical specimens with a positive NG-PCR. In this particular case, we isolated a strain with resistance to ceftriaxone in Switzerland. A total of seven different genes (penA, ponA, porinB, mtr, gyrA, parC, 23S rRNA gene) in this strain were partially sequenced for comparison with phenotypic susceptibility testing. Interestingly, two different mutations in the porinB gene were observed, and data on this gene are limited. Information on the identified allele type of the penA gene is very limited as well. Three different mutations of parC and gyrA that correlate with ciprofloxacin resistance were found. The combination of ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin resistance makes an appropriate treatment difficult to obtain due to multidrug resistance.

Conclusion

The combined results for all genes show the appearance of new mutations in central Europe either due to worldwide spread or the emergence of new genetic combinations of mutations.
Elaboration on the architecture of pH-sensitive surface charge-adaptive micelles with enhanced penetration and bactericidal activity in biofilms
Authors: Guo Rong , Li Keke , Tian Baocheng , Wang Changrong , Chen Xiangjun , Jiang Xinyu , He Huayu , Hong Wei
Published: August 2021

Background

Biofilm formation is one of the main reasons for persistent bacterial infections. Recently, pH-sensitive copolymers have fascinated incredible attention to tackle biofilm-related infections. However, the proper incorporation of pH-sensitive segments in the polymer chains, which could significantly affect the biofilms targeting ability, has not been particularly investigated. Herein, we synthesized three types of pH-sensitive copolymers based on poly (β-amino ester) (PAE), poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), PAE-PLA-mPEG (A-L-E), PLA-PAE-mPEG (L-A-E) and PLA-PEG-PAE (L-E-A) to address this issue.

Results

The three copolymers could self-assemble into micelles (MA-L-E, ML-A-Eand ML-E-A) in aqueous medium. Compared with MA-L-Eand ML-A-E, placing the PAE at the distal PEG end of PLA-PEG to yield PLA-PEG-PAE (ML-E-A) was characterized with proper triggering pH, fully biofilm penetration, and high cell membrane binding affinity. Further loaded with Triclosan (TCS), ML-E-A/TCS could efficiently kill the bacteria either in planktonic or biofilm mode. We reasoned that PAE segments would be preferentially placed near the surface and distant from the hydrophobic PLA segments. This would increase the magnitude of surface charge-switching capability, as the cationic PAE+would easily disassociate from the inner core without conquering the additional hydrophobic force arising from covalent linkage with PLA segments, and rapidly rise to the outermost layer of the micellar surface due to the relative hydrophilicity. This was significant in that it could enable the micelles immediately change its surface charge where localized acidity occurred, and efficiently bind themselves to the bacterial surface where they became hydrolyzed by bacterial lipases to stimulate release of encapsulated TCS even a relatively short residence time to prevent rapid wash-out. In vivotherapeutic performance of ML-E-A/TCS was evaluated on a classical biofilm infection model, implant-related biofilm infection. The result suggested that ML-E-A/TCS was effective for the treatment of implant-related biofilm infection, which was proved by the efficient clearance of biofilm-contaminated catheters and the recovery of surrounding infected tissues.

Conclusions

In summary, elaboration on the architecture of pH-sensitive copolymers was the first step to target biofilm. The ML-E-Astructure may represent an interesting future direction in the treatment of biofilm-relevant infections associated with acidity.

Graphic abstract
BCL7A as a novel prognostic biomarker for glioma patients
Authors: Liu Junhui , Gao Lun , Ji Baowei , Geng Rongxin , Chen Jing , Tao Xiang , Cai Qiang , Chen Zhibiao
Published: August 2021

Background

Glioma is the most common primary brain tumor and represents one of the most aggressive and lethal types of human cancer. BCL7 family has been found in several cancer types and could be involved in tumor progression. While the role of BCL7 family in human glioma has remained to be elucidated.

Methods

Paraffin-embedded tumor samples were obtained to detect BCL7 expression by performing in glioma. Data (including normalized gene expression and corresponding clinical data) were obtained from Gliovis, CGGA, GEO, cBioportal and Oncomine and were used to investigate BCL7 genes expression in glioma. Survival analyses were calculated by Kaplan–Meier methods and Cox regression analysis in TCGA and CGGA. Gene Set Enrichment Analyses (GSEA) and gene ontology (GO) analysis was employed to perform the biological processes enrichment.

Results

BCL7A expression in glioma tissues was lower compared to non-tumor brain tissues (NBT), and exhibited a negative correlation with glioma grades. Results from immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and public dataset validation demonstrated that BCL7B and BCL7C were highly expressed in glioma tissues compared to NBT. Cox regression analysis identified BCL7A as the only gene in the BCL7 family that was independently associated with the prognosis of lower-grade glioma (LGG) and glioblastoma (GBM). GO and GSEA analyses revealed the potential contribution of BCL7A in adaptive immune response and neutrophil activation in the tumor microenvironment. Moreover, we found that BCL7A had no prognostic effect on the overall survival of GBM patients who received IR only; however, patients who received chemotherapy (TMZ) combined with IR in the high BCL7A group survived longer than patients in the low BCL7A group (HR = 0.346, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

BCL7A is a new tumor suppressor gene and can be adopted as a biomarker for independent prognosis in glioma and to evaluate response to TMZ.
Localization of subcentimeter pulmonary nodules using an indocyanine green near-infrared imaging system during uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery
Authors: Wu Zhuo , Zhang Lei , Zhao Xi-tong , Zhou Di , Yang Xue-ying
Published: August 2021

Background

To investigate the feasibility of indocyanine green (ICG) use in localizing subcentimeter pulmonary nodules during uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.

Methods

This study was a retrospective analysis of 32 patients who underwent surgery due to pulmonary nodules using ICG localization from September 2019 to March 2020 in the Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University. Laser positioning and large-aperture spiral CT simulation were performed preoperatively. ICG was injected into the lung (2.5 mg/ml). The clinical characteristics and postoperative indicators were recorded.

Results

A total of 33 subcentimeter pulmonary nodules were successfully localized in 32 patients. Twenty-three patients underwent lobectomy, with an average surgical time of 45.3 min and an average tube retention time of 2 days. Non-small cell lung cancer was confirmed intraoperatively in 9 patients, among whom the longest surgical time was 120 min, and the shortest hospital stay was 7 days. No patient was converted to thoracotomy or developed serious complications.

Conclusions

ICG imaging is a safe and effective technique for localization of pulmonary nodules. Due to the widespread application of near-infrared devices, fluorescent localization and imaging technology will be more widely used in thoracic surgery.
Patient outcomes after electrical injury – a retrospective study
Authors: Ahmed Jamal , Stenkula Charlotte , Omar Sherwan , Ghanima Josef , Bremtun Fredrik Førsund , Bergan Jonas , Raouf Nezar , Ghanima Waleed
Published: August 2021

Introduction

People exposed to electrical injuries are often admitted to hospital for observation. Current evidence suggests that patients who have a normal ECG on admission after a low-voltage injury, with no loss of consciousness or initial cardiac arrest may be discharged home after a short observation time. Currently, there are no established standards for the duration of monitoring after electric shock, but 24 h of observation is the most commonly adopted approach. We carried out a retrospective study of patients admitted after electrical injuries to determine the in-hospital outcomes and 30-day mortality in these patients.

Methods

We performed a chart review of all patients with electrical injuries admitted to Østfold Hospital, Norway between the years 2001 and 2019, to determine in-hospital and 30-day mortality and the frequency of various cardiac and non-cardiac complications.

Results

Mean age of 465 included patients (88% males) was 31 years. Of all injuries, 329 (71%) were work-related, 17 (3.7%) involved loss of consciousness. Furthermore, 29/437 (6.6%) were high voltage (> 1000 V), and 243/401 (60.6%) were transthoracic injuries.

369 (79.4%) were discharged same day. None of the admitted patients died in hospital nor did any die within 30 days of admission, yielding a 30-day mortality of 0% (95% CI 0–0.8). At admission troponin was elevated in three (0.6%) patients, creatinine kinase (CK) in 30 (6.5%) and creatinine in six (1.3%). Electrocardiogram (ECG) abnormalities were described in 85 (18%) patients. No serious arrhythmias were detected.

When comparing high- vs low-voltage or transthoracic vs other injuries, there were no significant differences between most of the outcomes, except for more ECG abnormalities in the transthoracic group, whereas more patients had elevated CK, and fewer discharged the same day in high-voltage injuries.

Conclusion

No in-hospital nor 30-day mortality or serious arrhythmias were encountered in those who were assessed, regardless of the type of injury. Troponin and creatinine were rarely elevated. It seems that conscious patients admitted with a normal ECG following a low-voltage injury may safely be discharged home after a quick clinical assessment including ECG.
Neuronal Dystroglycan regulates postnatal development of CCK/cannabinoid receptor-1 interneurons
Authors: Miller Daniel S. , Wright Kevin M.
Published: August 2021

Background

The development of functional neural circuits requires the precise formation of synaptic connections between diverse neuronal populations. The molecular pathways that allow GABAergic interneuron subtypes in the mammalian brain to initially recognize their postsynaptic partners remain largely unknown. The transmembrane glycoprotein Dystroglycan is localized to inhibitory synapses in pyramidal neurons, where it is required for the proper function of CCK+ interneurons. However, the precise temporal requirement for Dystroglycan during inhibitory synapse development has not been examined.

Methods

In this study, we use NEXCre or Camk2aCreERT2 to conditionally delete Dystroglycan from newly-born or adult pyramidal neurons, respectively. We then analyze forebrain development from postnatal day 3 through adulthood, with a particular focus on CCK+ interneurons.

Results

In the absence of postsynaptic Dystroglycan in developing pyramidal neurons, presynaptic CCK+ interneurons fail to elaborate their axons and largely disappear from the cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and olfactory bulb during the first two postnatal weeks. Other interneuron subtypes are unaffected, indicating that CCK+ interneurons are unique in their requirement for postsynaptic Dystroglycan. Dystroglycan does not appear to be required in adult pyramidal neurons to maintain CCK+ interneurons. Bax deletion did not rescue CCK+ interneurons in Dystroglycan mutants during development, suggesting that they are not eliminated by canonical apoptosis. Rather, we observed increased innervation of the striatum, suggesting that the few remaining CCK+ interneurons re-directed their axons to neighboring areas where Dystroglycan expression remained intact.

Conclusion

Together these findings show that Dystroglycan functions as part of a synaptic partner recognition complex that is required early for CCK+ interneuron development in the forebrain.
New results and applications on the existence results for nonlinear coupled systems
Authors: Talib Imran , Abdeljawad Thabet , Alqudah Manar A. , Tunc Cemil , Ameen Rabia
Published: August 2021

In this manuscript, we study a certain classical second-order fully nonlinear coupled system with generalized nonlinear coupled boundary conditions satisfying the monotone assumptions. Our new results unify the existence criteria of certain linear and nonlinear boundary value problems (BVPs) that have been previously studied on a case-by-case basis; for example, Dirichlet and Neumann are special cases. The common feature is that the solution of each BVPs lies in a sector defined by well-ordered coupled lower and upper solutions. The tools we use are the coupled lower and upper solutions approach along with some results of fixed point theory. By means of the coupled lower and upper solutions approach, the considered BVPs are logically modified to new problems, known as modified BVPs. The solution of the modified BVPs leads to the solution of the original BVPs. In our case, we only require the Nagumo condition to get a priori bound on the derivatives of the solution function. Further, we extend the results presented in (Franco et al. in Extr. Math. 18(2):153–160, 2003; Franco et al. in Appl. Math. Comput. 153:793–802, 2004; Franco and O’Regan in Arch. Inequal. Appl. 1:423–430, 2003; Asif et al. in Bound. Value Probl. 2015:134, 2015). Finally, as an application, we consider the fully nonlinear coupled mass-spring model.
Hypokalemia in patients with anorexia nervosa during refeeding is associated with binge–purge behavior, lower body mass index, and hypoalbuminemia
Authors: Funayama Michitaka , Mimura Yu , Takata Taketo , Koreki Akihiro , Ogino Satoyuki , Kurose Shin , Shimizu Yusuke
Published: August 2021

Background

Hypokalemia is frequently found in patients with anorexia nervosa and sometimes leads to life-threatening conditions.
Although their serum potassium levels are considered to further decrease during refeeding, no previous studies have addressed actual changes in the serum potassium levels and potential mechanisms underlying hypokalemia during the refeeding period of patients with anorexia nervosa. In this study, we investigated factors associated with hypokalemia during refeeding of patients with anorexia nervosa.

Methods

We recruited 52 independent patients from 89 admissions with anorexia nervosa (body mass index, 13.0 ± 3.3) from the psychiatry unit in Ashikaga Red Cross Hospital during the period from April 2003 to March 2018 and analyzed serum potassium levels at admission. Of the 89 admissions, 66 admissions with > 1-week hospitalization were recruited to determine the lowest potassium levels during the refeeding period. We analyzed these levels with multiple linear regression analysis with explanatory variables, including data upon admission and treatment-related indicators.

Results

The initial serum potassium level of 3.6 ± 0.9 mg/dl decreased to 3.1 ± 0.7 mg/dl at nadir hypophosphatemia, which was observed an average of 2.5 days after admission. A lower serum potassium level at admission and a lower nadir potassium level during refeeding were associated with a lower body mass index, hypoalbuminemia, and binge–purge behavior. Similar results were obtained when the analysis included restrictive or binge–purge types as well as the independent patient group.

Conclusions

Lower body mass index, hypoalbuminemia, and binge–purge behavior might be used as indicators to guide clinical approaches for controlling serum potassium levels in patients with anorexia nervosa during refeeding.

Plain English summary

Hypokalemia, low levels of serum potassium, in patients with anorexia nervosa sometimes leads to life-threatening conditions. Thus, it is of great importance to predict the risk of hypokalemia in patients with anorexia nervosa during the refeeding period. Our study found that hypokalemia in patients with anorexia nervosa during refeeding is associated with a lower body mass index and hypoalbuminemia (low levels of serum albumin), in addition to binge–purge behavior.
Mindfulness-based positive psychology interventions: a systematic review
Authors: Allen Joshua George , Romate John , Rajkumar Eslavath
Published: August 2021

Background

There are hundreds of mindfulness-based interventions in the form of structured and unstructured therapies, trainings, and meditation programs, mostly utilized in a clinical rather than a well-being perspective. The number of empirical studies on positive potentials of mindfulness is comparatively less, and their known status in academia is ambiguous. Hence, the current paper aimed to review the studies where mindfulness-based interventions had integrated positive psychology variables, in order to produce positive functioning.

Methods

Data were obtained from the databases of PubMed, Scopus, and PsycNet and manual search in Google Scholar. From the 3831 articles, irrelevant or inaccessible studies were eliminated, reducing the number of final articles chosen for review to 21. Interventions that contribute to enhancement of eudaimonia, hedonia, and other positive variables are discussed.

Results

Findings include the potential positive qualities of MBIs in producing specific positive outcomes within limited circumstances, and ascendancy of hedonia and other positive variables over eudaimonic enhancement.

Conclusion

In conclusion, exigency of modifications in the existing MBIs to bring about exclusively positive outcomes was identified, and observed the necessity of novel interventions for eudaimonic enhancement and elevation of hedonia in a comprehensive manner.
Novel CSR & novel coronavirus: corporate social responsibility inside the frame of coronavirus pandemic in Greece
Authors: Panagiotopoulos Ioannis
Published: August 2021

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) becomes popular as big international firms gain more power than states and global issues engender concerns to people from all over the world. The pandemic of novel coronavirus is a current issue of global concern that threats humanity and global economy since the end of 2019. A lot of firms have announced urgent actions to support their employees and the local communities. The present study aims to examine whether the CSR activities of firms due to the pandemic could be categorized either as strategical or tactical CSR. The researcher recognizes the formation of a new kind of CSR called critical CSR as a hybrid between tactical and strategical CSR sharing characteristics from both. The examination of the case of Greece during the pandemic has provided a variety of examples of CSR activities from big Greek international firms that have been processed to support the validity of the reasoning. Finally, the paper delineates this new universal form of CSR born under the critical circumstances of the pandemic and the ensuing economic recession. That fact proves that this crisis could be transformed into a chance for corporations to realize their social role and improve their CSR footprint with the learnings of this pandemic by underlining possible advantages of these urgent CSR actions that could be incorporated into the usual CSR policy of the firms.
Does type and number of used substances affect the severity of illness in patients with substance use disorders?
Authors: Hassan Maha Ali , Abdelhameed Mohamed Ayman , Abd El-Naem Mostafa Mahmoud , Abdelhafeez Mohamed Helmy
Published: August 2021

Background

Substance use disorders (SUD) are considered as serious mental illnesses, with variability of age of onset, duration of illness, and type of used substance among patients. The effect of type and number of substances used on the severity of such an illness are worth scientific investigation.

In this study, we tried to investigate the probable relationship between type and number of used substances with the degree of severity of substance used disorders in a sample of upper Egyptian patients. To predict risk factors associated with the severity of SUD.

Results

Opiates (including tramadol) were the most frequently used substances followed by cannabis and then heroin. Patients using poly substances scored significantly higher than the ones using a single substance on AIS (p= 0.001), as well as on the legal, drug, and family and social subscales of ASI (0.012 0.006, 0.002 respectively). Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis demonstrated that the number of used substances was the most prominent factor in determining severity of substance-related disorder.

Conclusions

Using more than one substance is common in patients with substance use disorders. This is usually associated in more severe form and consequences of illness. So, some substances and combinations are associated with more morbidity than others.
Prognostic Value of Palliative Prognostic Index for Hospitalized Patients With End-of-Life Hematologic Malignancies in a Japanese University Hospital
Authors: Iizuka-Honma Hiroko , Mitsumori Toru , Yoshikawa Seiichiro , Takizawa Haruko , Noguchi Masaaki
Published: August 2021

PURPOSE:

Uncertainty of prognosis is one reason patients with hematologic malignancies receive aggressive therapy near end of life more often than those with advanced solid tumors. It is unknown whether end-of-life prognosis prediction models are useful for patients with hematologic malignancies, especially hospitalized patients receiving chemotherapy, because most prognostic models were developed for patients with solid tumors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic accuracy of the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI) for end-of-life patients with advanced hematologic malignancies.

METHODS:

We retrospectively reviewed the records of 143 patients who became resistant to standard chemotherapy and died of disease progression in our university hospital hematology ward between May 2015 and November 2019. Patients were classified according to PPI scores (groups: A, PPI ≤ 2.0; B, 2.0 < PPI ≤ 4.0; and C, PPI > 4.0) based on their clinical charts at admission. The median overall survival for each patient (95% confidence interval) was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank tests were used to determine significant differences between survival curves.

RESULTS:

Median patient age was 76 years (range: 39-92 years), and 59% were men. Median overall survival times in the PPI groups A, B, and C were 58 days, 36 days, and 10 days, respectively. Statistically significant differences in survival time were observed between the groups ( P < .01); prediction accuracy was similar to that for patients with different diagnoses.

CONCLUSION:

The usefulness of PPI was validated for near-end-of-life hospitalized patients with hematologic malignancies.
Hustling the Platform
Authors: Hardy Kate , Barbagallo Camille
Published: August 2021

An increasing amount of sex work in the United Kingdom is now digitally mediated, as workers and clients identify each other, agree prices and services, undertake security checks, and often make payment through various platforms and websites. Existing accounts of “digital sex work” have been both overly technological deterministic and optimistic, largely invisibilizing capital and the new forms of power and control it enables. The authors argue that the dominant platform for digital sex work in the United Kingdom, AdultWork, is reshaping the market in direct sexual services, driving down standards and prices, and normalizing risky behaviors. The article posits that these changes in the sex industry are symptomatic and reflective of wider shifts in labor-capital relations and technology and therefore argues that bringing research on platform work and sex work into closer dialogue is mutually productive. Studies of digital sex work would benefit from critical insights into power and control in platform work, while scholars of platform work—and of work and employment more generally—have much to learn from paying attention to the gendered labor of sex workers. In particular, resistance and collective organizing among sex workers, some of the most marginalized workers in contemporary capitalism, can suggest wider strategies of labor resistance and transformation in platform work and beyond.
Erotic Labor within and without Work
Authors: babylon femi , Berg Heather
Published: August 2021

In this interview, femi babylon elaborates a proheaux womanist theory of erotic labor as at once work and antiwork. “Sex work is work” speaks to the realities of erotic labor as a survival strategy and illuminates the connections among erotic labor and other forms of gig work. At the same time, it can operate as a bid for respectability, and one that occludes erotic labor as a strategy for refusing the work ethic. Thinking through the politics of the survival sex/sex work binary, the (dis)connections among wives and whores, and the intersections of whorephobia and misogynoir in conversations about sex worker motherhood, babylon engages key points of debate in sex worker theory today.
In vivo human gracilis whole-muscle passive stress–sarcomere strain relationship
Authors: Persad Lomas S. , Binder-Markey Benjamin I. , Shin Alexander Y. , Kaufman Kenton R. , Lieber Richard L.
Published: August 2021

We measured the passive mechanical properties of intact, living human gracilis muscles (n=11 individuals, 10 male and 1 female, age: 33±12 years, mass: 89±23 kg, height: 177±8 cm). Measurements were performed in patients undergoing surgery for free-functioning myocutaneous tissue transfer of the gracilis muscle to restore elbow flexion after brachial plexus injury. Whole-muscle force of the gracilis tendon was measured in four joint configurations (JC1–JC4) with a buckle force transducer placed at the distal tendon. Sarcomere length was also measured by biopsy from the proximal gracilis muscle. After the muscle was removed, a three-dimensional volumetric reconstruction of the muscle was created via photogrammetry. Muscle length from JC1 to JC4 increased by 3.3±1.0, 7.7±1.2, 10.5±1.3 and 13.4±1.2 cm, respectively, corresponding to 15%, 34%, 46% and 59% muscle fiber strain, respectively. Muscle volume and an average optimal fiber length of 23.1±0.7 cm yielded an average muscle physiological cross-sectional area of 6.8±0.7 cm2 which is approximately 3 times that measured previously from cadaveric specimens. Absolute passive tension increased from 0.90±0.21 N in JC1 to 16.50±2.64 N in JC4. As expected, sarcomere length also increased from 3.24±0.08 µm at JC1 to 3.63±0.07 µm at JC4, which are on the descending limb of the human sarcomere length–tension curve. Peak passive muscle stress was 27.8±5.5 kPa in JC4 and muscle modulus ranged from 44.8 MPa in JC1 to 125.7 MPa in JC4. Comparison with other mammalian species indicates that human muscle passive mechanical properties are more similar to rodent muscle than to rabbit muscle. These data provide direct measurements of whole-human muscle passive mechanical properties that can be used in modeling studies and for understanding comparative passive mechanical properties among mammalian muscles.
Physical Activity in the Treatment and Prevention of Heart Failure: An Update
Authors: LaMonte Michael J. , Eaton Charles B.
Published: August 2021

Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome hallmarked by an inability to match cardiac output with metabolic demand, resulting in exercise intolerance. HF is increasingly prevalent in an aging population and accounts for substantial burden of health care costs and morbidity. Because many of the central and peripheral mechanisms of HF respond favorably to exercise training, its role in HF treatment is becoming established. The role of habitual physical activity in the primary prevention of HF is less clear; however, available evidence is supportive. This article reviews recently published studies on exercise training and usual physical activity in HF treatment and prevention, discusses potential mechanisms, and suggests areas where further research is needed.
Boesenbergia pandurata application in Goldfish (Cyprinus carpio) Feed to Enhancing Fish Growth, Immunity System, and Resistance to Bacterial Infection
Authors: Hardi Esti Handayani , Saptiani Gina , Nugroho Rudi Agung , Rahman fadlul , Sulistyawati Sulistyawati , Rahayu Widyaningsih , Supriansyah Ali , Kusuma Irawan Wijaya
Published: August 2021

Background: This study investigated how the inclusion of Boesenbergia pandurata extract (BPE) in goldfish feed affects fish growth, immunity, and resistance to infection by Aeromonas hydrophila and Pseudomonas fluorescens.  

Methods: Four fish feeds, were prepared by adding BPE at the concentrations of 0 (control), 2, 4, and 6 g kg-1, respectively, and 120 goldfish (Cyprinus carpio; initial weight 5 g) were separated into 12 boxes and fed with specific pellets and examined thrice. The experiment lasted 12 weeks, beginning with the different feeds, fish growth was measured at Weeks 4 and 8 after the feeding period. Moreover, a challenge test with pathogen bacteria to assay disease resistance was administered at Week 8 after the feeding period, and the survival rate and relative percentage of survival were quantified at Week 12.  

Results: At Week 8, the goldfish that were fed BPE-containing feeds were significantly heavier than the fish that received the control feed (pellet without BPE), and the highest weight gain, reaching 72.44 g, was obtained with Pellet 3; accordingly, the specific growth rate after BPE treatment (5.7%) was higher than that after control treatment. Conversely, the feed conversion ratio in the control group, 2.03, was higher than the ratios in the BPE groups, which were decreased to 0.55–0.90. Lastly, BPE treatment consistently enhanced the immunity parameters of goldfish (relative to control treatment) at weeks 4 and 8, and following BPE treatment, the rate of resistance against bacterial infection, 68.3%–77.0%, was higher than that after control treatment.  

Conclusions: BPE addition in goldfish feed clearly produces a positive effect by enhancing fish growth, immunity, and resistance to infection by pathogenic bacteria, and 4 g kg-1 is the optimal BPE concentration in feed prepared for goldfish.
The COVID-OUT study protocol: COVID-19 outbreak investigation to understand workplace SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the United Kingdom
Authors: Chen Yiqun , Atchison Christina , Atkinson Barry , Barber Chris , Bennett Allan , Brickley Elizabeth , Cooke Joan , Dabrera Gavin , Fishwick David , Fletcher Tony , Graham Alice , Higgins Hannah , Keen Chris , Morgan Derek , Noakes Catherine , Pearce Neil , Raja Amber , Sandys Vince , Stocks Jill , van Tongeren Martie , van Veldhoven Karin , Verma Arpana , Curran Andrew
Published: August 2021

Preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission and protecting people from COVID-19 is the most significant public health challenge faced in recent years. COVID-19 outbreaks are occurring in workplaces and evidence is needed to support effective strategies to prevent and control these outbreaks. Investigations into these outbreaks are routinely undertaken by public health bodies and regulators in the United Kingdom (UK); however, such investigations are typically disparate in nature with a lack of consistency across all investigations, preventing meaningful analysis of the data collected.

The COVID-OUT (COVID-19 Outbreak investigation to Understand Transmission) study aims to collect a consistent set of data in a systematic way from workplaces that are experiencing outbreaks, to understand SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk factors, transmission routes, and the role they play in the COVID-19 outbreaks.

Suitable outbreak sites are identified from public health bodies. Following employer consent to participate, the study will recruit workers from workplaces where there are active outbreaks. The study will utilise data already collected as part of routine public health outbreak investigations and collect additional data through a comprehensive questionnaire, viral and serologic testing of workers, surface sampling, viral genome sequencing, and an environmental assessment of building plans, ventilation and current control measures. At each site, a detailed investigation will be carried out to evaluate transmission routes. A case-control approach will be used to compare workers who have and have not had SARS-CoV-2 infections during the outbreak period to assess transmission risk factors. Data from different outbreaks will be combined for pooled analyses to identify common risk factors, as well as factors that differ between outbreaks.

The COVID-OUT study can contribute to a better understanding of why COVID-19 outbreaks associated with workplaces occur and how to prevent these outbreaks from happening in the future.
Prospects for the Growth of Labor Productivity in the Transition to Postindustrial Technological Paradigms
Authors: Basovskiy Leonid , Basovskaya Elena
Published: August 2021

The purpose of the work was to determine the reasons for the loss by the education system of the function of forming human capital in the country, which manifests itself in the loss of the “education premium” by the employed population of the country. As result of the research, established that the most important factor-giving rise to educational problems is the ineffectiveness of management. In the education system, management based on outdated approaches and principles, which are characterized as an administrative and control style of management that has developed in the industrial economy and goes back to Taylorism, against the backdrop of limited funding. Numerous norms, standards, indicators and results of work, reports of educational institutions, subject to systematic control, are typical for the management of the education system. The practice-oriented approach implemented in education standards enhances the effect of obstacles on the path of innovative development during the transition to post-industrial economic structures. The educational system of modern Russia does not correspond to the possibility of solving the problem of developing the national economy. To bring the education system in line with modern requirements, a revision and im-provement of education policy is required.
Benjamín Fondane, La conciencia desdichada: "Prefacio para el presente". Traducción y edición crítica.
Authors: Peñalva Susana
Published: August 2021

Para quienes somos no solo ciudadanos de una sociedad material sino también seres metafísicos, es imposible reducir el rol de la filosofía -como querría el marxismo- a una revuelta contra la injusticia económica, ética o política, o incluso -como Kant y Husserl- a un conocimiento racional de los primeros principios o a una ciencia formal. Explorando la angustia y el absurdo, la filosofía existencial aborda las causas de la conciencia desdichada de lo existente singular: la muerte, la necesidad y la irrealidad. Es un acto de rebelión, una tentativa de superar las evidencias y de descubrir las posibilidades del vivir.
El concepto de tiempo de Hegel y Schelling en los Seminarios de 1927-1928 de Heidegger.
Authors: Lome Hurtado Luis Ángel
Published: August 2021

El objetivo es mostrar la interpretación del concepto de tiempo de Hegel y Schelling en los seminarios de 1927-1928 de Martin Heidegger. Primero se explica la confrontación que Heidegger realiza de Hegel antes y después de Ser y tiempo. Después, se analiza la primera confrontación con Schelling en 1927-1928. Y al final se concluye con los elementos centrales que el joven Heidegger retoma del concepto de tiempo de Hegel y Schelling
Una correspondencia en anticipación a La pregunta por la técnica.
Authors: Giribet Gaston , Galvagno Mariano
Published: August 2021

A continuación, presentamos la traducción comentada de un intercambio epistolar entre Werner Heisenberg y Martin Heidegger: una carta fechada en octubre de 1953 que cobra importancia en tanto se relaciona estrechamente con la conferencia que Heisenberg dictaría pocos meses después y que luego aparecería referida por Heidegger en La pregunta por la técnica (Die Frage nach der Technik) (1954). Esta carta, aunque brevísima, es densa en referencias a cuestiones que aparecerían poco después en La pregunta por la técnica; cuestiones tales como el peligro que está en germen en que los aspectos científicos del mundo sean considerados como los únicos, esa "unilateralidad peligrosa" (gefährlichen Einseitigkeit). De las poquísimas referencias en La pregunta por a técnica, las dos menciones a Heisenberg en el texto quedan en relieve. Es, por esto, interesante mostrar que antes de la publicación de La pregunta por la técnica Heidegger había debatido sobre estas cuestiones con lo más granado de la comunidad científica de su espacio y su tiempo.
Some reflections on the legend of the Marathon runner (hdt. 6.105, Aristoph. nub. 63–67, Plut. de glor. ath. 347c, Lucian. laps. 3 and the Roman Tradition)
Authors: Melis Valeria
Published: August 2021

A well-known tradition has it that after the victory of the Greeks over the Persian army at the battle of Marathon (490 B.C.E.) one of the Athenians ran forty kilometres from Marathon to Athens and died soon after his arrival in the city, after giving the good news. However, the story is more complicated than it seems, and several issues have claimed the attention of scholars, such as what the Marathon runner’s name was, what form of greeting he used and whether the episode really happened or not. The first part of my paper offers a reconsideration of the extant sources in order to express my point of view on the abovementioned issues. The second part aims at showing a selection of parallel passages which could possibly prove useful in trying to illustrate how the legend of the Marathon runner evolved into the shape it assumed in the Lucianean account, which is still considered as the ‘official’ version of the story.
Euro-excentrism: Theology and/or Political Anthropology of the “Enemy” ( from Schmitt to Plessner)
Authors: Sommer Christian
Published: August 2021

The text intends to investigate and clarify the salient aspects and limits of a possible and barely deepened relationship of proximity between H. Plessner and C. Schmitt regarding the interpretation and use of the friend/enemy dichotomy. One of the goals is to show that, although in his text of 1931 Political Anthropology Plessner tries to ground political anthropology by explicitly referring to the friend/enemy dichotomy as it was formulated by Schmitt, he develops this dualism in the light of the opposition between “familiar” and “foreign.” This development leads Plessner, beyond Schmitt’s aims, to the problematization of intersubjectivity and the possibility of “Euro-excentrism.”
Nietzsche’s Praise of Master Morality: The Question of Fascism Revisited
Authors: Wood William Peter
Published: August 2021

One of the most disquieting facts about the totalitarian movements of communism and fascism which threatened the European political order in the interwar period is the support both these movements appear to derive from the writings of two of the most important European philosophers of the 19th century, Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. The destruction of Western civilization seems to have been engendered by Western civilization itself. It is commonplace to charge that Bolshevism represented a travesty of Marx’s ideas, just as Nazism represented a travesty of Nietzsche’s ideas. But while it is impossible to describe Nietzsche as a fascist avant la lettre, it is no less untenable to maintain that there is no connection whatsoever between his ideas and the ideological turmoil which brought Europe to the brink of destruction in the first half of the 20th century. My paper examines the locus classicus of proto-fascist elements in Nietzsche’s writings – his praise of “master morality” in the First Treatise of the Genealogy of Morality. I argue that when Nietzsche’s praise of master morality is approached with a proper appreciation of the distinction Nietzsche himself makes between “the exoteric and the esoteric,” the proto-fascist elements in his rhetoric reveal themselves to be playful, ironic and intentionally self-undermining, and subservient to Nietzsche’s goals of philosophical pedagogy. Yet, at the same time, this insight does not absolve Nietzsche of the charge of fatal irresponsibility in the rhetoric he chose to employ.
Gorham-Stout Disease with Clinical Response to Sirolimus Treatment
Authors: Forero Saldarriaga Santiago , Vallejo Camilo , Urrea Pineda Lizeth , Osma Anderson , Bonilla Gonzalez Carlos
Published: August 2021

Gorham-Stout disease (GSD) is a rare clinical entity of unknown aetiology, with osseous resorption, vascular structure proliferation and inflammation of adjacent soft tissues. The clinical spectrum varies from asymptomatic patients to patients with pain, functional limitation or deformity. GSD may affect 1 or multiple bones in any location; however, predilection for the maxillofacial area and upper limbs has been described. We present the case report of a 33-year-old male patient with facial pain and loss of dental pieces; imaging showed extensive lytic involvement of the mandible and cranial bones. After exclusion of malignant, metabolic, infectious, or autoimmune disease, a diagnosis of GSD was made. Treatment with sirolimus was prescribed, achieving a symptomatic improvement and stability of imaging findings. The importance of the knowledge of this orphan disease is highlighted, to achieve a prompt diagnosis and medical treatment.