bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Parenting and Child Development: A Relational Health Perspective
Authors: Frosch Cynthia A. , Schoppe-Sullivan Sarah J. , O’Banion D. David
Published: May 2019

A child’s development is embedded within a complex system of relationships. Among the many relationships that influence children’s growth and development, perhaps the most influential is the one that exists between parent and child. Recognition of the critical importance of early parent-child relationship quality for children’s socioemotional, cognitive, neurobiological, and health outcomes has contributed to a shift in efforts to identify relational determinants of child outcomes. Recent efforts to extend models of relational health to the field of child development highlight the role that parent, child, and contextual factors play in supporting the development and maintenance of healthy parent-child relationships. This review presents a parent-child relational health perspective on development, with an emphasis on socioemotional outcomes in early childhood, along with brief attention to obesity and eating behavior as a relationally informed health outcome. Also emphasized here is the parent–health care provider relationship as a context for supporting healthy outcomes within families as well as screening and intervention efforts to support optimal relational health within families, with the goal of improving mental and physical health within our communities.
Doing Science Differently: A Framework for Assessing the Careers of Qualitative Scholars in the Health Sciences
Authors: Webster Fiona , Gastaldo Denise , Durant Steve , Eakin Joan , Gladstone Brenda , Parsons Janet , Peter Elizabeth , Shaw James
Published: May 2019

Hiring and promotion of qualitative researchers in the health sciences, in Canada and internationally, is impacted by the prestige of quantification as the ultimate measure of scientific quality in current academic and health-care settings. This is further exacerbated by neoliberal notions of productivity, which offer very limited forms of assessment for different ways of producing knowledge or doing science differently. While qualitative researchers share the effects of the politics of productivity and corporate university policies with other academics, we argue that they are disadvantaged by the combination of the latent biomedical conservatism that characterizes the health sciences in Canada with the lack of frameworks to acknowledge and properly assess alternative forms of interdisciplinary scholarship. In our experience, it is challenging for qualitative researchers to advance in Canadian health sciences faculties. In light of this, we propose a framework for evaluating their scholarly work. We have structured this article in three sections: (a) to characterize the academic landscape in which qualitative health scholars find themselves when housed in Canadian faculties of medicine and their schools of health sciences, (b) to report on an organizational scan we undertook in order to understand current practices of evaluating scholarly productivity at these institutions, and (c) to propose a set of criteria that could more appropriately evaluate the contributions made by qualitative researchers working in the health sciences.
Leadership practices by senior position holders in Higher Educational Research Institutes: Stealth power in action?
Authors: O’Connor Pat , Martin Patricia Y , Carvalho Teresa , Hagan Clare O’ , Veronesi Liria , Mich Ornella , Saglamer Gulsun , Tan Mine G , Caglayan Hulya
Published: May 2019

Using the concept of stealth power and a critical realist perspective, this article identifies leadership practices that obscure the centralisation of power, drawing on data from interviews with 25 academic decision-makers in formal leadership positions in HERIs in Ireland, Italy and Turkey. Its key contribution is the innovative operationalisation of stealth power and the inductive identification of four practices which obscure that centralised power, i.e. rhetorical collegiality, agenda control, in-group loyalty and (at a deeper level) the invisibility of gendered power. The purpose of the article is emancipatory: by creating an awareness of these leadership practices, it challenges their persistence.
Insights into the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in pregnancy
Authors: Shannahan Sarah E. , Erlich Jonathan M. , Peppercorn Mark A.
Published: May 2019

Patients diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are most commonly diagnosed in late adolescence or early adulthood, with half of patients being diagnosed before age 32, thus impacting peak years of reproduction and family planning. While controlled IBD has no negative effects on the ability to conceive, there is overall a trend towards voluntary childlessness due to patients’ concerns for adverse fetal outcomes from underlying IBD and from adverse medication effects. Active disease at the time of conception is associated with worsening disease activity during pregnancy and carries a higher risk of poor fetal outcomes. It is therefore important to maintain remission during pregnancy, which is often achieved with pharmacologic therapy. The goal of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the current literature and safety data for pharmacologic treatment of IBD in pregnancy, in breastfeeding women, and in men planning to have children.
Use of a Clostridium difficile clinical prediction rule to facilitate antimicrobial stewardship
Authors: Kamiyama Davin , Weng Bruce H , Donnelley Monica A , Zhu Elizabeth , Brown Jennifer
Published: May 2019

In this study, we assessed whether a Clostridium difficile clinical prediction rule could be used to facilitate antimicrobial stewardship in an acute care hospital. We found that patients with higher scores were more likely to receive unnecessary antimicrobials and had the greatest potential for antimicrobial stewardship interventions. This novel method has the potential to expedite antimicrobial stewardship efforts, particularly for complex patients, in health care institutions.
Kem Ley and Cambodian Citizenship Today: Grass-Roots Mobilisation, Electoral Politics and Individuals
Authors: Norén-Nilsson Astrid
Published: May 2019

Starting with a bang in 2013 and ending silently in 2017, Cambodia experienced a brief democratic momentum that saw people taking to the streets to demand political change. Kem Ley – a political analyst and grass-roots organiser – provided a rallying point that ordinary Cambodians gathered around particularly after his 2016 murder, yet his political legacy remains meagre. The Grassroots Democratic Party that Kem Ley was involved in setting up commands next to no popular allegiance and performed poorly both in local elections in 2017 and national elections 2018. This article seeks to explore an elusive aspect of Cambodia’s democratic momentum: civil society activists moving to engage in electoral politics. It is argued that Cambodian activists have sought to reshape party politics according to civil society logics, but that this has been an ambiguous enterprise with little appeal to a sharply divided electorate.
Drawing Single NMR Spins and Understanding Relaxation
Authors: Williamson Mike P.
Published: May 2019

How should we draw vectors to represent individual nuclear spins? Vectors in 3D space are merely a way of understanding the mathematics of quantum mechanics, which provides the “true” description of a single spin-½ nucleus. They are a useful aid to understanding, but there is no single “correct” vector representation, and the different vector models that are used have advantages and disadvantages. Here, we discuss the 2 standard vector models for a nuclear magnetic resonance spin: the up/down or alignment model and the 2-cone model, and we show how they relate to quantum mechanics. We show why both of these models are limited and discuss a third model, the uniform model, in which individual spins can be in any orientation. We demonstrate how the uniform model presents a clear and logically coherent description for spins: at equilibrium; following a 90° pulse; and during the subsequent relaxation back to equilibrium. The uniform model is fully consistent with quantum mechanics and leads to an understanding of coherence and relaxation that cannot be obtained from the other 2 models. We suggest that the uniform model is more helpful than the other 2 for most purposes.
Biotransformation of Naringenin by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Into Three Naringenin Derivatives
Authors: Koirala Manoj , Lee Young Kee , Kim Min Seon , Chung You Chul , Park Jin-Soo , Kim Seung-Young
Published: May 2019

In this study, a whole-cell biotransformation by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens Korean Collection for Type Culture 13588 was carried out to acquire naringenin derivatives. High-performance liquid chromatography analysis of the reaction metabolites showed the presence of 3 different products. The structure of the metabolites was confirmed through high-resolution quadrupole-time-of-flight electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis. The result revealed that B. amyloliquefaciens catalyzes naringenin into 3 derivatives, naringenin 7- O-phosphate, naringenin 7- O-glucoside (prunin), and 6''- O-succinylprunin. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the production of 3 different derivatives when naringenin was used as a substrate. Furthermore, our study also revealed that the product naringenin 7- O-phosphate has approximately 45-fold higher water solubility than that of naringenin. Our finding suggests that biotransformation might solve the low bioavailability of flavonoids.
Effect of Montelukast, a Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor-1 Antagonist, on a Rat Model of Acute Bacterial Sinonasal Inflammation
Authors: Kaya Zülküf , Yayla Muhammed , Cinar Irfan , Celebi Demet , Toktay Erdem , Bayraktutan Zafer , Bilici Dilek
Published: May 2019

Aim

This study aimed to investigate montelukast (MONT), a leukotriene receptor antagonist, as a potential treatment protocol and/or supportive therapy against acute bacterial sinonasal inflammation by histopathological and molecular analyses.

Material and Methods

A total of 30 rats were used in the study. The nasal dorsum was sterilized, and gelatin sponges were inserted into the right nasal cavities. The nostrils were then inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (SA) for rhinosinusitis (RS) induction. Rats were treated once daily for 7 days with an injection of saline, either cefazolin sodium (CEFA) or MONT. Tissue samples were collected for examination.

Results

To evaluate whether CEFA and MONT were able to attenuate the SA-induced nasal inflammation, we analyzed the proinflammatory cytokine levels in the nasal tissue of rats by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α ( P ≤ .05) and interleukin-1α (IL-1α) ( P ≤ .05) increased in the SA-induced group, when compared with the healthy control. MONT treatment significantly reversed these elevations, especially IL-1α messenger RNA expression levels induced by SA. Also, CEFA administration significantly changed the proinflammatory cytokine levels when compared to the SA group, but this effect was not as strong as MONT. Also, histopathological findings supported the beneficial effects of MONT.

Conclusion

This study histopathologically and molecularly showed that MONT significantly ameliorated the SA-associated sinonasal inflammatory reaction, both alone and in combination with CEFA. These results may suggest that MONT may block the inflammatory reaction underlying RS even more significantly by antioxidative or anti-inflammatory effects. This study suggests MONT as a future potential therapeutic agent for RS treatment.
TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa
Authors: Savage Kevin T. , Flood Kelsey S. , Porter Martina L. , Kimball Alexa B.
Published: May 2019

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a complex disease with a dramatic impact on the quality of life of patients that it afflicts. Despite this, there are few treatment options offering long-term relief. The exact pathophysiology of HS is unclear, although the current theory involves follicular obstruction, rupture, and subsequent inflammation leading to fistula and abscess development in intertriginous skin. Several inflammatory modulators have been implicated in the development of HS, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α as well as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-10, and IL-17. Initial evidence for the use of TNF-α inhibitors in HS stemmed from recognition that inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with these medications saw a concurrent improvement in their HS symptoms. Early case reports and case series illustrated TNF-α inhibitors’ value in the treatment of HS. Later, two phase III clinical trials, PIONEER I and PIONEER II, demonstrated that adalimumab is an efficacious treatment for HS. Infliximab represents another effective HS treatment option with its main advantage being dosing flexibility. In contrast, clinical trials have failed to show evidence for application of etanercept in HS. There is limited data on other TNF-α inhibitors such as certolizumab-pegol and golimumab. This review outlines the history, dosing, response, and adverse effects of TNF-α inhibitors in the treatment of HS.
Ethical tensions in designing ethnographic research with schoolchildren in rural Karnataka
Authors: Ipe Rebecca
Published: May 2019

This article provides an overview of the ethical tensions of preparing for ethnographic research with children in a rural district in Karnataka, India. Such children are at the receiving end of policy and international organisation interest, which alternately frames them as both victims of poverty and conflict and as agents of potential change in their communities. Additionally, researchers must often negotiate particularly muddy ethical waters when working with Majority World children from marginalised backgrounds. A critical exploration of the various complexities is provided in order to develop a working ethical framework. Of key importance is the need for reflexivity when journeying from western higher institutions (the ‘ivory tower’) to the ‘field’, a space and time carrying different weight and implications for the participants than the researcher. This article argues for the need to critically examine and weave in the multiple discourses of power that permeate children’s lives and engage with children’s responses to these discourses. While rural Karnataka provides a case study for the ethical tensions of ethnographic research with Majority World children from marginalised backgrounds, the principles espoused here are broadly applicable to children in a variety of contexts.
Racialization and modern religion: Sylvia Wynter, black feminist theory, and critical genealogies of religion
Authors: Robinson Benjamin G
Published: May 2019

Through an engagement with Sylvia Wynter, this article explores how black feminist critiques of the human can inform critical genealogies of religion. Specifically, the article develops a theoretical framework to interrogate how the modern construction of religion and the secular also produces racial identities and hierarchies. To draw attention to the global dimensions of this project, the article foregrounds the seminal work of Jason Ā. Josephson-Storm in his book, The Invention of Religion in Japan. The article argues that studies like Josephson-Storm's show how religion helps transform existing forms of social organization within a bio-evolutionary conception of the nation, and is used by the state to differentiate between who can be considered fully human and who cannot. In this process “superstition” or “irrationality” is rewritten as a biological threat to the health and well-being of “the people,” and political domination is represented as a struggle to purify the nation.
Affective Encounters of the Algorithmic Kind: Post-Truth and Posthuman Pleasure
Authors: Kalpokas Ignas
Published: May 2019

This article goes beyond the current discourse on post-truth, fake news, and related developments by tracing the emergence of a broader and more fundamental change—a posthuman turn in politics. The article begins with examining the background of post-truth and the causes of its prominence. Those causes are found to primarily lie in the natural human predilection for pleasure and satisfaction as well as capacity for affective agglomeration. Such agglomeration is particularly manifest in the digital and, even more specifically, new media environment where the abundance of information and alignment opportunities has led to incessant competition of media and political actors for audience attention. The main weapon in this competitive struggle is maximization of consumer satisfaction, that is, pleasure (and not, e.g. veracity). However, the main transformative factor that both enable the maximization of satisfaction and lead to the posthuman turn is the abundance of data and the potential for its algorithmic analysis as well as interpretation of the results of such analysis. In this context, data-rich algorithm-wielding political actors are capable of knowing in advance the utterances and other affective triggers necessary to alter their audiences’ choice environments in such a way that it will have no other option but to choose the preferred outcome, receiving pleasure in return. However, the same political actors are simultaneously reduced to mouthpieces for algorithmically selected utterances instead of themselves being active shapers of political strategy. Consequently, humans must share agency with algorithms and other pieces of code, if not cede it altogether.
Changes of peripheral blood immune cells in acute coronary syndrome
Authors: Zhang Chengxin , Liu Haiyuan , Wang Huiping , Tao Qianshan , Lin Xianhe , Ge Shenglin , Zhai Zhimin
Published: May 2019

The objective of this study is to explore changes in main immune cells during acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including changes in subsets of monocytes, T cells, and inhibitory myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), and to evaluate possible mechanisms. A total of 50 patients suffering from ACS were divided into two subgroups based on attacks of acute infarction, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) with infarction including ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and unstable angina (UA). Third, the subgroup of 19 healthy subjects was labeled the normal group (NG). CD14, CD16, and CD45 were used as markers of the subset of monocytes. CD4, CD8, and CD3 were used as markers of the subset of T cells and CD14, human leukocyte antigen—DR isotype (HLA-DR), and CD45 were used as markers of inhibitory MDSCs. Both CD11b+ CD206+ and CD11b+ CD68+ cells were also assayed. Our data indicated that lymphocytes/karyocytes and monocytes/karyocytes as well as those of CD3+ CD4+ T cells, CD14+ CD16– monocytes, CD14+ CD16+ monocytes, and CD11b+ CD68+ monocytes were significant in all three groups ( P < 0.05). The ratio of T-cell subtypes to total lymphocytes among the three subgroups can be represented as AMI > UA > NG ( P < 0.05). The ratios of CD14+ monocytes to total karyocytes among the three subgroups can be represented as NG > UA > AMI ( P < 0.05). The ratios of CD14+ CD16– monocytes to total karyocytes among the three subgroups can be represented as NG > UA > AMI ( P < 0.05). The ratios of CD14+ CD16+ monocytes to total karyocytes among the three subgroups can be represented as AMI > UA > NG ( P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the proportion of MDSCs ( P > 0.05). Certain subsets of monocytes are closely associated with ACS, of which CD14+ CD16– monocytes present a negative association, while CD14+ CD16+ monocytes show a positive association. In addition, adaptive immunity is associated with unstable plaques of ACS, and CD3+ CD4+ T cells may play a role in early stages of ACS.
An Examination of Michigan State University’s Image Repair via Facebook and the Public Response Following the Larry Nassar Scandal
Authors: Frederick Evan , Pegoraro Ann , Smith Lauren Reichart
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine how Michigan State University (MSU) utilized Facebook as a tool for image repair following the Larry Nassar sex abuse scandal. Specifically, the researchers were concerned with the image-repair approach utilized by MSU during Nassar’s hearing and in its immediate aftermath. Additionally, the researchers examined users’ responses via Facebook comments to determine reactions to MSU’s image-repair strategies. MSU primarily employed the image-repair tactic of corrective action along with rallying, bolstering, and mortification. Overall, individuals posting comments did not appear to buy into MSU’s image repair. Users focused blame on MSU for mishandling the situation and discussed various aspects of the Nassar case as well as MSU’s mistreatment of the victims. Additionally, there was a call for MSU to change its culture, take ownership of its mistakes, and become a leader in dealing with sexual assault on campus.
Evaluating HIV Educational Materials for Older People
Authors: Conner Laneshia R. , Fernández Yohansa , Junious Eric , Piper Crystal , Rowan Diana
Published: May 2019

Objective:

To address the gap in knowledge about HIV risk reduction materials that target older adults. This review offered a comprehensive and rigorous examination of HIV risk reduction education materials that targeted older adults in the United States, assessing the gap in their coverage and content.

Method:

A cross-sectional review of both print and Internet sources from state departments of public health, state and area agencies on aging, and web resources that targeted older populations was performed.

Results:

Of 29 health departments and 13 state and area agencies on aging that responded to the request, there were 9 HIV education materials identified that targeted older people. Of those materials, only 2 addressed the majority of aging-specific recommendations made from a previous study that described important HIV risk reduction information.

Discussion:

Recommendations are made about dissemination ideas to increase awareness and utilization of HIV educational materials.
Epidemiological Analysis of Changes in Clinical Practice for Full-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears From 2010 to 2015
Authors: Agarwalla Avinesh , Cvetanovich Gregory L. , Gowd Anirudh K. , Romeo Anthony A. , Cole Brian J. , Verma Nikhil N. , Forsythe Brian
Published: May 2019

Background:

Rotator cuff injuries are a leading cause of shoulder disability among adults. Surgical intervention is a common treatment modality; however, conservative management has been described for the treatment of rotator cuff tears. As the cost of health care increases, the industry has shifted to optimizing patient outcomes, reducing readmissions, and reducing expenditure. In 2010, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons created clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) to guide the management of rotator cuff injuries. Since their publication, there have been several randomized controlled trials assessing the management of rotator cuff injuries.

Purpose:

To quantitatively describe changes in the management of full-thickness rotator cuff tears over time with regard to the publication of the CPGs and prospective clinical trials.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Included in the study were Humana-insured patients in the PearlDiver database with the diagnosis of a full-thickness rotator cuff tear from 2010 to 2015. Patients undergoing rotator cuff repair (CPT-29827, CPT-23410, CPT-23412, CPT-23420) and patients undergoing nonoperative management in the queried years were identified. The incidence of physical therapy (PT), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and corticosteroid injections was assessed.

Results:

In 2015, patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears were less likely to receive a corticosteroid injection (16.5% vs 23.9%, respectively; odds ratio [OR], 0.6; P < .001) or undergo PT (7.8% vs 12.1%, respectively; OR, 0.6; P < .001) before rotator cuff repair in comparison with 2010. Additionally, patients were no more likely to be prescribed NSAIDs before rotator cuff repair in 2015 in comparison with 2010 (OR, 1.0; P = .6). Patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears were less likely to undergo acromioplasty in 2015 in comparison with 2010 (48.2% vs 76.9%, respectively; OR, 0.4; P < .001); however, the rate of concomitant biceps tenodesis slightly increased (14.8% vs 14.6%, respectively; OR, 1.1; P = .01).

Conclusion:

From 2010 to 2015, there were changes in the management of full-thickness rotator cuff tears, including decreased preoperative utilization of corticosteroid injections and PT as well as a decrease in concomitant acromioplasty, and the rate of biceps tenodesis slightly increased. As CPGs and prospective investigations continue to proliferate, management practices of patients with full-thickness rotator cuff tears continue to evolve.
Assessing the Explanatory Power of Social Movement Theories across the Life Course of the Civil Rights Movement
Authors: Maher Thomas V. , Martin Andrew , McCarthy John D. , Moorhead Lisa
Published: May 2019

Social movements are constantly evolving. Protest activity waxes and wanes as movements suffer through prolonged periods of frustration, win occasional gains, and turn to new goals and issues. While theoretical models of protest activity are often sensitive to this reality, empirical models typically treat these explanations as time-invariant, rather than situated in specific moments in movements’ histories. Quite simply, we suspect that the effect of important predictors of movement activity, notably access to resources, political opportunities, repression, and competition, varies depending on the specific moment in the movement’s life course. We explore this possibility through a detailed analysis of three main periods of the American Civil Rights movement: (1) the movement’s initial success (1960–1968), its subsequent demobilization (1968–1977), and its institutionalization (1978–1995). Our analysis builds on limited work arguing for greater sensitivity to a movement’s life course when explaining protest activity. We find that the type of organizational resources that shape mobilization varies across periods, and support for prior work showing that the concurrent push and pull of institutionalization and radicalization led to demobilization. Finally, we find that coalition work motivated protest during its period of institutionalization. We conclude by discussing the theoretical and empirical implications of these findings.
Individual Variations in Effort: Assessing Pupillometry for the Hearing Impaired
Authors: Wagner Anita E. , Nagels Leanne , Toffanin Paolo , Opie Jane M. , Başkent Deniz
Published: May 2019

Assessing effort in speech comprehension for hearing-impaired (HI) listeners is important, as effortful processing of speech can limit their hearing rehabilitation. We examined the measure of pupil dilation in its capacity to accommodate the heterogeneity that is present within clinical populations by studying lexical access in users with sensorineural hearing loss, who perceive speech via cochlear implants (CIs). We compared the pupillary responses of 15 experienced CI users and 14 age-matched normal-hearing (NH) controls during auditory lexical decision. A growth curve analysis was applied to compare the responses between the groups. NH listeners showed a coherent pattern of pupil dilation that reflects the task demands of the experimental manipulation and a homogenous time course of dilation. CI listeners showed more variability in the morphology of pupil dilation curves, potentially reflecting variable sources of effort across individuals. In follow-up analyses, we examined how speech perception, a task that relies on multiple stages of perceptual analyses, poses multiple sources of increased effort for HI listeners, wherefore we might not be measuring the same source of effort for HI as for NH listeners. We argue that interindividual variability among HI listeners can be clinically meaningful in attesting not only the magnitude but also the locus of increased effort. The understanding of individual variations in effort requires experimental paradigms that (a) differentiate the task demands during speech comprehension, (b) capture pupil dilation in its time course per individual listeners, and (c) investigate the range of individual variability present within clinical and NH populations.
Mexican American Adolescent Mothers’ Lived Experience: Grounded Ethnicity and Authentic Mothering
Authors: Sommer Phyllis A. , Kelley Michele A. , Norr Kathleen F. , Patil Crystal L. , Vonderheid Susan C.
Published: May 2019

We conducted this qualitative, phenomenological study to further understanding of how second-generation Mexican American adolescent mothers perceive their young motherhood experience, drawing on the context of their Mexican heritage background. Through in-person interviews with 18 young mothers, we discerned shared essential meanings reconstructed around two major domains: (a) grounded ethnicity, a firm desire to remain true to and share their heritage culture, and (b) authentic mothering, strong relationality to their infants. We found that young mothers embraced their Mexican heritage mothering approaches, such as fostering familismo, valuing family above other obligations. The adolescents in this study sensed their young motherhood as an opportunity to protect and improve qualities of traditional familial cultural heritage, while absorbing elements of American culture to enhance the future for themselves and their infants. We discuss how providers can help reduce stigmatization and promote self-efficacy by respecting and partnering with young mothers to provide culturally congruent services.
Logistics Hubs in Oman and Political Uncertainty in the Gulf
Authors: Hamed Al-Wahaibi Mahmood Humaiyid
Published: May 2019

Oman is taking remarkable steps to develop its logistics sector to be one of the main pillars of the nation’s non-oil-based economy in the future. The current fluctuation in oil prices has pressured the country to boost non-oil exports and re-exports to eventually replace oil export in the future as the main income. The aim of this research is to utilize an augmented form of gravity model to investigate the effect of GDP, population growth, distance, free trade agreements (FTAs), political relations, and cultural similarity on the value of non-oil exports and re-exports with the top 35 trading partners. This work sets the foundation for researchers to better understand the spatial placement of logistics hubs in Oman and the political influence on the national economy. Similarly, this analysis could be used by port operators and local authorities as a way to re-evaluate expansion plans of ports and investments in the logistics sector justified by realistic forecasted demands and scenarios. Undoubtedly, the study reaffirms the importance of scenario planning and forecasting to provide decision-makers with better look into the future to make more informed decisions.
Turkey and South Africa: A Relationship of Regional Powers
Authors: Bishku Michael B.
Published: May 2019

This is an examination of the political, economic and cultural ties between a member of NATO, sometimes at odds with the Western Alliance (Turkey) and a prominent country in the Non-Aligned Movement (South Africa) from the late 1980s up to the present. Turkey regards South Africa as a key state in the continent in its more recent engagement in Africa, while South Africa sees Turkey as an essential relationship in the Middle East. They share some common concerns regarding the respective regions of sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, respectively, like peacekeeping and development in Africa and the politics of the Israel–Palestine situation. Turkey has maintained cultural ties with South Africa’s Muslim population, but is concerned about the Gülenist presence in South Africa. While the two countries have cooperated in political endeavors, trade and investment seem most prominent in their relationship. In recent years, there have been several reciprocal visits by leaders of both countries underlining the importance of the relationship.
High frequency of infection of lung cancer patients with the parasiteToxoplasma gondii
Authors: Bajnok Jaroslav , Tarabulsi Muyassar , Carlin Helen , Bown Kevin , Southworth Thomas , Dungwa Josiah , Singh Dave , Lun Zhao-Rong , Smyth Lucy , Hide Geoff
Published: May 2019

Background

Toxoplasma gondiiis an intracellular protozoan parasite that can cause a wide range of clinical conditions, including miscarriage and pneumonia. The global prevalence is 30% in humans, but varies by locality (e.g. in the UK it is typically 10%). The association between lung cancer andT. gondiiinfection was investigated by direct detection in lung tissue samples.

Methods

Lung tissue samples were taken from patients undergoing lung resection surgery (n=72) for suspected lung cancer (infection prevalence 100% (95% CI: 93.9–100%)). All 72 participants were confirmed as having lung cancer following subsequent diagnostic tests. In addition, bronchial biopsy samples were collected from non-lung cancer healthy control subjects (n=10). Samples were tested forT. gondiiusing PCR amplification ofT. gondiispecific gene markers andT. gondiispecific immunohistochemistry.

Results

All 72 lung cancer patients were infected withT. gondii(prevalence 100% (95% CI: 93.9–100%)). Of which, 95.8% (n=69) of patients showed evidence of active parasite stages. Infection prevalence in the controls (10%) was significantly lower (p<0.0001).

Conclusions

Clinicians treating lung cancer patients should be aware of the potential presence of the parasite, the potential for induction of symptomatic complications and interference with treatment success.
Memory, attention and fluency deficits in COPD may be a specific form of cognitive impairment
Authors: Morris Charlotte , Mitchell James W. , Moorey Hannah , Younan Helen-Cara , Tadros George , Turner Alice M.
Published: May 2019

There is increasing evidence demonstrating an association between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cognitive impairment. We present a narrative review of published studies on the subject and a cross-sectional study investigating domain-specific cognitive impairment in people with COPD compared to people with known Alzheimer's dementia, and controls without known COPD or cognitive impairment. The aim of the study was to compare prevalence and pattern of cognitive impairment between the three groups using the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination (ACE)-III tool.

A total of 89 participants were recruited (44 with COPD, 17 with Alzheimer's and 28 controls).

Patients with COPD had significantly lower total ACE-III scores than controls (p<0.001). When comparing the COPD group to the known Alzheimer's dementia group, overall ACE-III scores were significantly lower in the Alzheimer's dementia group than the COPD group (p=0.019). The domain-specific scores for attention (p<0.004), memory (p<0.004) and fluency (p<0.001) were significantly lower in the Alzheimer's dementia group than the COPD group.

Our result suggest that the COPD group were significantly more likely to have cognitive impairment than the healthy control group. This was supported by the results of a narrative review of the published literature. Our results show that the pattern of impairment in the COPD group is different to the pattern of impairment shown in the known Alzheimer's dementia group, with significant differences in the cognitive domains affected. These results are in keeping with the findings of other previously published studies included in the narrative review.
Predictors of prolongation in recent-onset cough
Authors: Lätti Anne M. , Pekkanen Juha , Koskela Heikki O.
Published: May 2019

Chronic cough greatly decreases the quality of life and is often refractory to treatment. Interventions at an early stage could prevent cough from becoming chronic. To this end, the patients at high risk of cough prolongation would need to be identified. In this study, we investigated the factors that predicted cough at 12 months among subjects with a recent-onset cough.

This was a prospective, observational follow-up study in a community-based population consisting of working-age subjects. The first e-mail survey in 2017 included a comprehensive questionnaire about current cough and its risk factors. The 259 subjects who reported a recent-onset (<8 weeks) cough were sent a follow-up questionnaire 12 months later.

The response rate was 72.6% (188 subjects). There were 99 subjects (52.7%) with cough in 2018. The following baseline factors predicted the presence of any cough at 12 months in the multivariable analysis: wheezing (adjusted odds ratio (aOR 2.80, 95% CI 1.3–5.27), dog ownership (aOR 2.56, 95% CI 1.21–5.44), cough duration >3 weeks (aOR 2.29, 95% CI 1.11–4.76), family history of chronic cough (aOR 2.20, 95% CI 1.13–4.30), body mass index >25 kg·m−2(aOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.02–4.15) and frequent somatic symptoms (aOR 1.36, 95% CI 1.13––1.64). There were 29 subjects (15.4%) with continuous cough and 66 subjects (35.1%) with recurrent cough. The risk factors were completely different between recurrent and continuous cough.

It may be possible to identify the risk factors of cough prolongation among subjects with recent-onset cough. Early interventions should be targeted to these kinds of patients.
Correction to: Comparing self-assessment of laparoscopic technical skills with expert opinion for gynecological surgeons in an operative setting
Authors: Kilani Rami , Aleyadeh Wesam
Published: May 2019

In the publication of this article [1], the contributing author Wesam Aleyadeh was missing. This has now been updated in this correction.
The effect of curcumin supplementation on anthropometric indices, insulin resistance and oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind clinical trial
Authors: Hodaei Homa , Adibian Mahsa , Nikpayam Omid , Hedayati Mehdi , Sohrab Golbon
Published: May 2019

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorders in human and affect a lot of people around the world. Curcumin is a component of turmeric and in many studies therapeutic effects such as anti-hypertensive, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-hyperglycemia for this substance are shown.

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of curcumin supplementation on anthropometric indices glycemic control and oxidative stress in overweight patients with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 53 participants with type 2 diabetes were divided randomly into the experimental and control groups to receive either 1500 mg curcumin or placebo capsule three times in a day for 10 weeks.

Result

Supplementation with curcumin in type 2 diabetes compare to placebo causes a significant changes in mean weight (− 0.64 ± 0.22 vs. 0.19 ± 0.37 p < 0.05), body mass index (BMI) (0.3 ± 0.03 vs. 0.1 ± 0 p < 0.05), waist circumference (WC) (− 1.2 ± 0.4 vs. − 0.43 ± 0.11 p < 0.05) and fasting blood sugar (FBS) (− 7 ± 2 vs. 3 ± 0.2 p < 0.05) but did not show any difference for hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), insulin, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and pancreatic B cell function (HOMA-B) at end of study.

Conclusion

This study indicated that daily administration of 1500 mg curcumin has positive effects in reducing fasting blood glucose and weight in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Trial registration NCT02529982. Registered 19 August 2015, http://www.clinicaltrial.gov
‘Forty Years of Wanderings' — The Medico-Psychological Association, 1855–1894
Authors: Walk Alexander
Published: May 2019

In 1961, in collaboration with Dr D. Lindsay Walker, who supplied much information concerning the Association's birthplace, the Gloucester Asylum, I published in the Journal (1961) a detailed account of the origins of the Medico-Psychological Association, or rather of the ‘Association of Medical Officers of Asylums and Hospitals for the Insane’, as it was called for the first 24 years of its existence. This account ended with the 1854 Annual Meeting, the first to be reported in the Association's Journal. I now propose to cover a further instalment of its history.
Social Psychiatry
Authors: Leff Julian
Published: May 2019

People working in the field of social psychiatry concern themselves with social factors which may affect the onset, duration or outcome of psychiatric disorders. This concern encompasses the full range of psychiatric conditions and virtually every aspect of the structure of society, so that in this short review we can only attempt to convey the flavour of the subject and to highlight some salient contributions.
Prevalence and Treatment of Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms
Authors: Johnson D. A. W.
Published: May 2019

A prospective follow-up of schizophrenic patients treated with depot neuroleptic injections demonstrated the variability of the prevalence rate of morbidity from drug-induced extrapyramidal symptoms. Factors influencing this morbidity are discussed. This study suggests that the need for the treatment of drug-induced symptoms by the use of antiparkinsonian drugs is less than commonly accepted. It is suggested that our psychological set to the problem of drug-induced side-effects requires revision, and in particular that the prescription of anticholinergic drugs needs justification.
Attitudes of Psychiatric Patients to Deliberate Self-poisoning
Authors: Hawton Keith , Bancroft John , Simkin Susan
Published: May 2019

Attitudes towards self-poisoning were investigated in 80 psychiatric patients, half of whom themselves had previously taken overdoses. They were asked to comment about self-poisoners in general, and on four specific cases in particular. In addition to motives spontaneously suggested they were asked to choose from a list of alternative motives in explaining each case.

The subjects who had previously taken overdoses differed from the rest in seeing such behaviour as more often due to a disturbed state of mind and less often an expression of hostility. Both groups tended to see self-poisoners as mentally ill; and, unless they were offered a ‘vocabulary’ of goal-directed motives, they tended to see the behaviour as a reaction to events (i.e. expressive) rather than goal-oriented (i.e. Insteurnental). The implications of these findings are discussed.
The Different Incidence of Suicide in Eire and in England and Wales
Authors: Barraclough B. M.
Published: May 2019

This paper confirms previous findings that the incidence of suicide in England and Wales is greater than that in Eire, but shows that the incidence in 1968–70 was only twice as high, and not four times as stated in the official statistics.
Psychiatric Diagnosis in a Transcultural Setting: The Importance of Lexical Categories
Authors: Morice Rodney
Published: May 2019

In a transcultural setting, psychiatric diagnosis is often impeded by language and cultural barriers. A greater reliance on observed or reported behaviour than on the self-reporting of subjective discomfort may thus be expected, and this could result in the low prevalence of reported anxiety and depression in many transcultural psychiatric surveys. The language of the Pintupi Aborigines of Central Australia, until recently palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, is seen to contain lexical categories for anxiety and depression. This attests not only to their capacity to experience such affects, but also to their ability to express them verbally. The implications of this finding for psychiatric diagnosis are discussed.
Monthly Variation of Suicide and Undetermined Death Compared
Authors: Barraclough B. M. , White Susan J.
Published: May 2019

Undetermined deaths in England and Wales between 1968 and 1972 did not show the same pattern of seasonal variation as suicides.
Temozolomide versus irinotecan-temozolomide for children with relapsed and refractory high risk neuroblastoma (RR-HRNB): Results of the BEACON-Neuroblastoma randomized phase 2 trial—A European Innovative Therapies for Children with Cancer (ITCC) - International Society of Pediatric Oncology Europe Neuroblastoma Group (SIOPEN) trial.
Authors: Moreno Lucas , Moroz Veronica , Owens Cormac , Laidler Jennifer , Valteau-Couanet Dominique , Gambart Marion , Castel Victoria , Van Eijkelenburg Natasha , Castellano Aurora , Nysom Karsten , Gerber Nicolas U. , Laureys Genevieve , Ladenstein Ruth Lydia , Makin Guy , Vaidya Sucheta , Thebaud Estelle , Kearns Pamela , Pearson Andrew DJ , Wheatley Keith
Published: May 2019

10001

Background: BEACON-Neuroblastoma is a randomized Phase II trial to assess the activity of backbone chemotherapy regimens for children with RR-HRNB and to determine if inhibiting angiogenesis with bevacizumab adds to the activity of this chemotherapy. Methods: Patients aged 1-21 years with RR-HRNB with adequate organ function and performance status were randomized in a 2x2 factorial design to: temozolomide (T) versus irinotecan-temozolomide (IT), with or without bevacizumab. Here we report the results of the irinotecan randomization (T vs. IT), which had a probability-based Bayesian design. Primary endpoint was best overall response (complete or partial) during the first 6 courses, by RECIST for measurable disease patients and International Neuroblastoma Response Criteria for evaluable disease patients for which overall response rate (ORR) was calculated. Results: From 2013 to 2018, 61 patients were randomized to treatment with T and 60 to IT. Median age was 5.8 years. 85 and 36 had measurable and evaluable disease respectively; 55 and 66 had refractory and relapsed disease; 22 had MYCN amplification. Baseline characteristics were balanced between the arms. Response data was not yet available for 2 patients on T. Response was not assessable for 17 patients (did not have treatment or stopped early) who were considered non-responders. The ORR was 24% for T and 17% for IT (risk ratio (RR) = 0.70, 95% credible interval 0.32 to 1.44). The probability that the RR for ORR was >1.0 was 17%, meaning that IT did not show greater activity than T. There was no interaction between treatment with/without bevacizumab (heterogeneity test, p=0.7). 27 (44%) T and 35 (58%) IT patients had grade ≥3 toxicities as per CTCAE v4.0. Diarrhea occurred in no patients on T and 7 (12%) on IT; hematological toxicities included anemia (6 T, 4 IT), neutropenia (14 T, 22 IT) and thrombocytopenia (14 T, 11 IT). Conclusions: Irinotecan does not improve the response rate when added to temozolomide in RR-HRNB, but does increase diarrhea. Longer follow-up is needed before assessing whether it impacts progression-free or overall survival. Number of responses by treatment arm. Clinical trial information: NCT02308527. [Table: see text]