bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cell salvage in acute and chronic wounds: a potential treatment strategy. Experimental data and early clinical results
Authors: Mayer Dieter , Armstrong David , Schultz Greg , Percival Steven , Malone Matt , Romanelli Marco , Keast David , Jeffery Steven
Published: September 2018

On 9 May 2018, the authors took part in a closed panel discussion on the impact of cell salvage in acute and chronic wounds. The goal was to deliberate the possible use of plurogel micelle matrix (PMM) as a new treatment strategy for wound healing and the authors openly shared their experiences, thoughts, experimental data and early clinical results. The outcome of the panel discussion has been abridged in this paper. The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer, which provides a diffusion barrier separating the inside of a cell from its environment. Cell membrane injury can result in acute cellular necrosis when defects are too large and cannot be resealed. There is a potential hazard to the body when these dying cells release endogenous alarm signals referred to as ‘damage (or danger) associated molecular patterns' (DAMPs), which trigger the innate immune system and modulate inflammation. Cell salvage by membrane resealing is a promising target to ensure the survival of the individual cell and prevention of further tissue degeneration by inflammatory processes. Non-ionic surfactants such as poloxamers, poloxamines and PMM have the potential to resuscitate cells by inserting themselves into damaged membranes and stabilising the unstable portions of the lipid bilayers. The amphiphilic properties of these molecules are amenable to insertion into cell wall defects and so can play a crucial, reparative role. This new approach to cell rescue or salvage has gained increasing interest as several clinical conditions have been linked to cell membrane injury via oxidative stress-mediated lipid peroxidation or thermal disruption. The repair of the cell membrane is an important step in salvaging cells from necrosis to prevent further tissue degeneration by inflammatory processes. This is applicable to acute burns and chronic wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), chronic venous leg ulcers (VLUs), and pressure ulcers (PUs). Experimental data shows that PMM is biocompatible and able to insert itself into damaged membranes, salvaging their barrier function and aiding cell survival. Moreover, the six case studies presented in this paper reveal the potential of this treatment strategy.
Equine obesity: current perspectives
Authors: Rendle David , McGregor Argo Caroline , Bowen Mark , Carslake Harry , German Alex , Harris Pat , Knowles Edd , Menzies-Gow Nicola , Morgan Ruth
Published: September 2018

Foreword

Equine obesity is now so common that is has become accepted by many as the norm ( Owers and Chubbock, 2012 ). Rates of obesity may be as high as 70% in some populations and obesity is often associated with morbidities that may ultimately result in mortality. Obesity is a common feature in animals diagnosed with equine metabolic syndrome, a conflation of metabolic disturbances including insulin dysregulation, which may lead to laminitis. Obesity is a risk factor for insulin dysregulation and is therefore implicated in laminitis risk. In addition to laminitis, adverse consequences of obesity include orthopaedic disease, hyperlipaemia, hyperthermia, infertility and poor performance. Over time, perception of what constitutes a healthy body condition in horses has shifted, with the result that potentially harmful excess adiposity may not be recognised by owners or those working in the equine industry ( Owers and Chubbock, 2012 ). In addition, increasing numbers of equines are kept as companions rather than athletes and live relatively inactive lifestyles favouring the development of obesity. Finally, owners of leisure horses often think their horses are working hard when, in reality, their exertions have minimal impact on their energy requirements. Despite increasing awareness within the veterinary profession and equine industry of the impact of obesity on equine welfare, little progress seems to have been made in tackling it. This document was commissioned in order to provide veterinary surgeons with up-to-date information on equine obesity and to equip them to tackle it within their own practices. Recommendations were developed using an informal two-round Delphi process, considering published and unpublished research relating to equine obesity using a round table forum and online discussion. Where research evidence was conflicting or absent, collective expert opinion based on the clinical experience of the group was applied. The opinions expressed are the consensus of views expressed by the authors. Where agreement was not reached, opposing views are presented such that readers can understand the arguments fully. The document is focused on the management of horses and ponies; while much of the information herein is applicable to donkeys it is important to recognise that the metabolism and management of donkeys are different and further research is required before specific recommendations can be made. The expert group was organised by UK-Vet Equine with sponsorship from Baileys Horse Feeds.
Range of motion in the talo-navicular and the calcaneo-cuboid joints evaluated by ultrasound during clubfoot treatment with normal references up to the age of four years
Authors: Johansson A. , Aurell Y. , Romanus B.
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Previous ultrasound studies of clubfeet have mainly focused on the first year of life. The purpose of this study was to improve the evaluation of the talo-navicular and calcaneo-cuboid joints by adding new variables, evaluating the repeatability of ultrasound measurements for normal feet and clubfeet and establishing values for normal feet up to four years of age.

Methods

A control group of 105 children divided into ten age groups, and 71 clubfeet in 46 children were examined. Four new variables were introduced: medial malleolus–Talar head–Navicular distance, medial tangent of the talus to the medial border of the navicular distance, the angle between the longitudinal axis of the talus and a line from the centre of the talar head to the medial corner of the navicular, the angle between the lateral borders of the calcaneus and the cuboid. The mobility in the talo-navicular and the calcaneo-cuboid joints was assessed by comparing measurements with the foot in adduction and abduction.

Results

The variables could be assessed with fair to very good intra- and inter-observer repeatability (intraclass correlation coefficient > 0.8 and ≥ 0.6, respectively), with a few exceptions. There was less movement in talo-navicular and calcaneo-cuboid joints in clubfeet than in controls.

Conclusion

Morphology of normal feet and clubfeet, as well as mobility in the talo-navicular and calcaneo-cuboid joints, can be assessed by ultrasound with a fair to very good reliability from birth to the age of four years.

Level of Evidence

III
The impact of educated users’ interactions on social media (Facebook) in the Arab world
Authors: Ziani Abdul-Karim , Elareshi Mokhtar
Published: September 2018

The use of Facebook (FB) is becoming ubiquitous among Arab online users, including Arab youths in higher education. This article investigates the perceptions of an FB group called Open Media Library (OML) regarding FB use in academia and education. It examines the extent to which motivation and trust drives members to use FB in academia and education. The study analyses their attitudes, their preferred topics and the gratification they receive from using FB, as well as whether they trust the information on FB. A total of 374 FB users, aged 18 and over, from nine Arab countries were surveyed. As stated in the literature, this article confirms that FB is mainly used for communication, collaboration, resource-sharing, intercultural communication and relationships. Communication and experience, the identification of news and events, maintaining friendships, entertainment, curiosity and escape were the motivating factors cited by most respondents for using FB in academia and education. Despite the popularity of FB, respondents still do not trust information on FB. The predictors of FB use include: education; exchange of views with others; and communication with family and friends.
The Arab Spring: Beyond media effects
Authors: Al-Azdee Mohammed , Metzgar Emily
Published: September 2018

We put primary and secondary data associated with members of the Arab League into a regression model to derive what we call the ‘Arab Spring Equation’. This formula indicates that international news coverage during the upheaval constituted a reliable index of protest intensity, a criterion consistent with the predictive power of sociopolitical and socio-economic indicators, but not indicators of communication technologies. Variables considered in the analysis included level of democratic development; level of corruption; degree of press freedom; rate of unemployment; rate of population growth; per capita gross domestic product (GDP); percentage of population living in poverty; rate of inflation; literacy rate; number of Internet users; number of mobile phone users; Internet penetration rate; military expenditure as percentage of GDP; and type of political rule. Results point to explanations related to the role of media in the Arab Spring beyond those attributed to the advent of communication technologies.
Archaeology and Biogeography of the Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) in the Puget Sound Region
Authors: Fisher Jacob
Published: September 2018

The modern distribution of the western pond turtle (Actinemys marmorata) is discontinuous, with a historic but extirpated population in the Puget Sound region that was isolated from populations south along the Columbia River. To better understand this distribution, a review of the archaeological literature for the Puget Sound region was conducted to determine the prehistoric biogeography of the species in the Puget Sound area. Western pond turtles are nearly absent from the regional archaeological record, represented at best by four tentative specimens. This may be explained by extremely low population levels throughout the Holocene at the northernmost extent of its range.
Rafael Torrubia, Black Power and the American People: Culture and Identity in the Twentieth Century, (London: I.B. Tauris, 2016), 336pp., £69/$110
Authors: Burgin Say
Published: September 2018

Review of Black Power and the American People: Culture and Identity in the Twentieth Century by Rafael Torrubia.
“We Charge Genocide”: Revisiting black radicals’ appeals to the world community1
Authors: Helps David
Published: September 2018

In 1951, black radical William Patterson presented the United Nations with a petition, emblazoned with the title We Charge Genocide. The document charged the US government with snuffing out tens of thousands of black lives each year, through police violence and the systemic neglect of black citizens’ well-being. While historians have tended to discuss We Charge Genocide as a remarkable but brief episode, the petition built on prior attempts to invoke international law on behalf of African Americans and resonated with later generations of black activists whose political activism transcended more limited and domestic notions of civil rights. These later invocations of the genocide charge spanned the black left, including the Black Panther Party, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, James Baldwin and black feminists. This essay explores how the historical memory of racial violence, including settler colonialism and the slave trade, inspired an ideologically diverse array of organizations to each connect their experience to global histories of racial oppression. It stresses the internationalist and anticolonial perspective of the genocide charge and its proponents’ economic and transnational critique, thereby contributing to the historiographies of the long civil rights movement and black radicalism. By invoking international law, these black radicals connected the civil rights movement in the US to the struggle for human rights worldwide. Finally, the essay considers how integrating the local, national and global scales of racialized violence and its response enables historians to transnationalize the long civil rights movement paradigm.
Existence of a Heteroclinic Solution for a~Double Well Potential Equation in an Infinite Cylinder of ℝ
N
Authors: Alves Claudianor O.
Published: September 2018

This paper is concerned with the existence of a heteroclinic solution for the following class of elliptic equations:

-

Δ
⁢
u

+

A
⁢

(

ϵ
⁢
x

,
y
)

⁢

V
′

⁢

(
u
)

=

0
 

in 
⁢
Ω

,

-\Delta{u}+A(\epsilon x,y)V^{\prime}(u)=0\quad\mbox{in }\Omega,

where

ϵ
>
0

{\epsilon>0}

,

Ω
=

ℝ
×
𝒟

{\Omega=\mathbb{R}\times\mathcal{D}}

is an infinite cylinder of

ℝ
N

{\mathbb{R}^{N}}

with

N
≥
2

{N\geq 2}

. Here, we consider a large class of potentials V that includes the Ginzburg–Landau potential

V
⁢

(
t
)

=

(

t
2

-
1

)

2

{V(t)=(t^{2}-1)^{2}}

and two geometric conditions on the function A. In the first condition we assume that A is asymptotic at infinity to a periodic function, while in the second one A satisfies

0
<

A
0

=

A
⁢

(
0
,
y
)

=

inf

(
x
,
y
)

∈
Ω

⁡

A
⁢

(
x
,
y
)

<

lim inf

|

(
x
,
y
)

|

→

+
∞

⁡

A
⁢

(
x
,
y
)

=

A
∞

<
∞

 

for all 
⁢
y

∈
𝒟

.

0<A_{0}=A(0,y)=\inf_{(x,y)\in\Omega}A(x,y)<\liminf_{|(x,y)|\to+\infty}A(x,y)=A% _{\infty}<\infty\quad\text{for all }y\in\mathcal{D}.
Anti-ganglioside antibodies: experience from the Italian Association of Neuroimmunology external quality assessment scheme
Authors: Franciotta Diego , Gastaldi Matteo , Biagioli Tiziana , Benedetti Luana , Giannotta Claudia , Bedin Roberta , Zardini Elisabetta , Nobile-Orazio Eduardo
Published: September 2018

Background

Anti-ganglioside antibodies are currently used in the differential diagnosis of suspected immune-mediated neuropathies. In-house and increasingly used commercial assays seem to perform suboptimally, and comparative information on their analytical performance are essentially lacking. Born within the frame of guidelines and standardization activities by the Italian Association of Neuroimmunology, this external quality assessment scheme (EQAS) is a real-life snapshot of the laboratory diagnostics in this field.

Methods

The EQAS consisted of five surplus, anonymized serum samples from patients with clinically-defined neuropathies and two serum samples from healthy blood donors. Eight laboratories used commercial line-/dot-blots, seven in-house/commercial ELISAs (in addition, 13 laboratories tested a recently released ELISA by Bühlmann). Only high anti-ganglioside antibody reactivities were considered, in accordance with consolidated recommendations.

Results

Large variations in anti-ganglioside antibody profiles were observed, even, although to a lesser extent, within homogeneous classes of assays. Concordance between the profiles and clinical phenotypes was also partial.

Conclusions

Although conducted on a relatively small, but representative number of Italian laboratories, this EQAS shows a critical between-laboratory disagreement in the test results of anti-ganglioside antibodies. Also considering the trend for using certified assays in generalist laboratories, strong efforts toward standardization and the identification of the best method(s) for their determinations are compellingly needed.
A Tensor Decomposition Algorithm for Large ODEs with Conservation Laws
Authors: Dolgov Sergey V.
Published: September 2018

We propose an algorithm for solution of high-dimensional evolutionary equations (ODEs and discretized time-dependent PDEs) in the Tensor Train (TT) decomposition, assuming that the solution and the right-hand side of the ODE admit such a decomposition with a low storage.
A linear ODE, discretized via one-step or Chebyshev differentiation schemes, turns into a large linear system.
The tensor decomposition allows to solve this system for several time points simultaneously using an extension of the Alternating Least Squares algorithm.
This method computes a reduced TT model of the solution, but in contrast to traditional offline-online reduction schemes, solving the original large problem is never required. Instead, the method solves a sequence of reduced Galerkin problems, which can be set up efficiently due to the TT decomposition of the right-hand side.
The reduced system allows a fast estimation of the time discretization error, and hence adaptation of the time steps.
Besides, conservation laws can be preserved exactly in the reduced model by expanding the approximation subspace with the generating vectors of the linear invariants and correction of the Euclidean norm.
In numerical experiments with the transport and the chemical master equations,
we demonstrate that the new method is faster than traditional time stepping and stochastic simulation algorithms, whereas the invariants are preserved up to the machine precision irrespectively of the TT approximation accuracy.
Effect of Chemical Reaction on Maxwell Nanofluid Slip Flow over a Stretching Sheet
Authors: Prasannakumara B.C. , Reddy M. Gnaneswara , Sudha Rani M.V.V.N.L. , Krishnamurthy M.R.
Published: September 2018

The main focus of the present study is to analyze the effect of chemical reaction and nonlinear thermal radiation on Maxwell fluid suspended with nanoparticles through a porous medium along horizontal stretching sheet. The governing partial differential equations of the defined problem are reduced into a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations using adequate similarity transformations. Obtained set of similarity equations are then solved with the help of efficient numerical method fourth fifth order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg method. The effects of different flow pertinent parameters on the flow fields like velocity, temperature, and concentration are shown in the form of graphs and tables. The detailed analysis of the problem is carried out based on the plotted graphs and tables. It is observed that an increase in the radiation parameter, temperature ratio parameter, Brownian motion parameter and thermophoretic parameter lead to increase in the thermal boundary layer thickness but quite opposite phenomenon can be seen for the effect of Prandtl number.
Contrast enhanced tomographic reconstruction of vascular blood flow with first order and second order adjoint methods
Authors: Sixou Bruno
Published: September 2018

In this work, we study the reconstruction of blood velocity with contrast enhanced computed tomography with a tomographic projections perpendicular to the main flow field direction. The inverse problem is regularized with a convection-diffusion partial differential equation. The velocity field is reconstructed with first order and second order adjoint methods with a receding optimal control method and tested on simple phantoms.
Informatics External Quality Assurance (IEQA) Down Under: evaluation of a pilot implementation
Authors: Hardie Rae-Anne , Moore Donna , Holzhauser Derek , Legg Michael , Georgiou Andrew , Badrick Tony
Published: September 2018

External quality assurance (EQA) provides ongoing evaluation to verify that laboratory medicine results conform to quality standards expected for patient care. While attention has focused predominantly on test accuracy, the diagnostic phases, consisting of pre- and post-laboratory phases of testing, have thus far lagged in the development of an appropriate diagnostic-phase EQA program. One of the challenges faced by Australian EQA has been a lack of standardisation or “harmonisation” resulting from variations in reporting between different laboratory medicine providers. This may introduce interpretation errors and misunderstanding of results by clinicians, resulting in a threat to patient safety. While initiatives such as the Australian Pathology Information, Terminology and Units Standardisation (PITUS) program have produced Standards for Pathology Informatics in Australia (SPIA), conformity to these requires regular monitoring to maintain integrity of data between sending (laboratory medicine providers) and receiving (physicians, MyHealth Record, registries) organisations’ systems. The PITUS 16 Informatics EQA (IEQA) Project together with the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs (RCPAQAP) has created a system to perform quality assurance on the electronic laboratory message when the laboratory sends a result back to the EQA provider. The purpose of this study was to perform a small scale pilot implementation of an IEQA protocol, which was performed to test the suitability of the system to check compliance of existing Health Level-7 (HL7 v2.4) reporting standards localised and constrained by the RCPA SPIA. Here, we present key milestones from the implementation, including: (1) software development, (2) installation, and verification of the system and communication services, (3) implementation of the IEQA program and compliance testing of the received HL7 v2.4 report messages, (4) compilation of a draft Informatics Program Survey Report for each laboratory and (5) review consisting of presentation of a report showing the compliance checking tool to each participating laboratory.
Distribution of values of classic singular Cantor function of random argument
Authors: Pratsiovytyi Mykola , Lysenko Iryna , Voitovska Oksana
Published: September 2018

Let X be a random variable with independent ternary digits and let

y
=

F
⁢

(
x
)

{y=F(x)}

be a classic singular Cantor function. For the distribution of the random variable

Y
=

F
⁢

(
X
)

{Y=F(X)}

, the Lebesgue structure (i.e., the content of discrete, absolutely continuous and singular components), the structure of its point and the continuous spectra are exhaustively studied.
Metal-free, air-promoted, radical-mediated arylation of benzoquinone with phenylhydrazines
Authors: Sayahi Mohammad Hosein , Ansari Samira , Saghanezhad Seyyed Jafar , Mahdavi Mohammad
Published: September 2018

An efficient, economic, and air-promoted metal-free method for direct arylation of benzoquinone with phenylhydrazines was developed. This approach leads to the formation of corresponding [1,1′-biphenyl]-2,5-dione derivatives as biological and pharmaceutical materials of interest in good yields, under mild reaction conditions, and at ambient temperature.
Impacts of WMA Additives on Viscosity and Cracking of Asphalt Binder
Authors: Bozorgzad Ashkan , Chon Beom Jun , Sampath Anand , Kim Yongjoo , Lee Hosin David
Published: September 2018

The basic concept of warm mix asphalt (WMA) technologies is to reduce the asphalt binder viscosity, which allows the asphalt to attain a suitable viscosity to coat the aggregates and thus to compact asphalt mixtures at lower temperatures. A main concern for adding WMA additives to asphalt is that it might reduce the rutting resistance at high temperatures and the cracking resistance at low temperatures. To address these concerns, this article presents the impacts of various amounts of WMA additives on the viscosity and low-temperature cracking of asphalt binder. The test results at 135°C show that the viscosity of asphalt reduced significantly when 0.5 % of Additive B was added; the viscosity did not decrease when up to 1.0 % of Additive A was added. When the temperature was lowered to 120°C, however, a more drastic reduction in viscosity was observed when just 0.5 % of additives were added, and the viscosity remained relatively steady as the dosage was increased up to 3.0 %. These viscosity test results confirm that the higher amounts of WMA additives do not necessarily reduce the viscosity of asphalt binder. To characterize the low temperature property of the asphalt binder, the asphalt binder with WMA additives were tested using the asphalt binder cracking device (ABCD). As the WMA additives were increased from 0.5 % to 3.0 %, the cracking temperature increased slightly but remained steady near the cracking temperature of the virgin asphalt binder. The ABCD test results confirm that the cracking temperature of asphalt binder is not significantly affected by WMA additives.
Feasibility Study of Anchored Fiber-Optic Strain-Sensing Arrays for Monitoring Soil Deformation beneath Model Foundation
Authors: Zhang Cheng-Cheng , Zhu Hong-Hu , Chen Dong-Dong , Xu Xing-Yu , Shi Bin , Chen Xiao-Ping
Published: September 2018

High-accuracy deformation measurement is an essential part of geotechnical model testing, in which fiber-optic sensors have great potentialities. In this study, a 1-g plane-strain model test was performed to investigate the feasibility of using fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain-sensing arrays for monitoring soil deformation beneath a strip footing. The FBG array with specially made anchors was designed to enhance the fiber-soil interfacial bond and, hence, to improve the measurement quality. Three arrays were embedded horizontally within the soil to monitor internal linear strains, while digital photography-based particle image velocimetry (PIV) was employed to obtain superficial displacement and strain fields. Test results show that the strains captured by FBGs were comparable with equivalent strains determined via PIV analyses in terms of strain development, which reflected the evolution of soil deformation under incremental loads. Finally, the benefits and drawbacks of anchored FBG arrays for monitoring laboratory-scale models were discussed, with the conclusion being that they are capable of capturing internal strains or a strain profile of soil with low noise and high resolution, but there has to be a trade-off between robustness and sensitivity.
Compaction Effort for Uniform Laboratory-Prepared Cohesionless Soil Bed
Authors: Alharthi Yasir M. , Hanna Adel M.
Published: September 2018

Laboratory testing in geotechnical engineering plays a paramount role in developing theories and empirical formulas. Soil preparation is an integral part of any experiment, which is often required to prepare uniform cohesionless soils in the testing tank. One of the oldest methods to obtain the desired unit weight throughout the testing tank is by dropping the sand from a predetermined height. This method often suffers from particle segregation, which reflects on the test results. Applying compaction effort on the surface of the soil is another method for soil preparation that is widely used because of its simplicity and the repeatability of its results. The procedure is followed by trial and error by adjusting the thickness of the layer and the appropriate energy level until the desired relative density is achieved. However, this technique often produces overconsolidated sand in the testing tank, which is usually ignored. Using compaction effort, uniform sand in the testing tank is achieved by placing the sand in layers; each receives a predetermined compaction effort. In this procedure, the majority of the energy applied is used to compact the immediate top layer, while the rest seeps through to the lower layers, increasing their compaction level. Accordingly, by adjusting the level of the energy applied to each layer, it is possible to produce uniform homogeneous sand in the testing tank. This article presents a laboratory procedure to produce a uniform sand bed and to measure the level of the overconsolidation in the testing tanks, namely, by controlling the thickness of the sublayer and the level of energy applied on each layer.
El déficit de denuncias de víctimas de prostitución forzada en México
Authors: Palacios Simón Pedro Izcara
Published: September 2018

México posee una legislación estricta en materia de trata de personas, pero tal legislación tiene poca utilidad si las víctimas no denuncian a sus explotadores. Este artículo, fundamentado en una metodología cualitativa que incluye la realización de entrevistas en profundidad a 47 víctimas de trata con fines de explotación sexual, parte de la siguiente pregunta de investigación: ¿por qué las víctimas extranjeras de este tipo específico de trata que se encuentran en México no denuncian a las personas que las explotan? Concluimos que la corrupción es el factor que inhibe las denuncias y favorece el crecimiento de la industria de la trata de personas con fines de explotación sexual en México.

Mexico has strict legislation on human trafficking; however, this legislation is of little use if victims do not denounce their exploiters. Engaging a qualitative methodology that includes in-depth interviews with forty-seven victims of human trafficking, this article proceeds from the following research question: Why do foreign victims of sexual exploitation in Mexico not blow the whistle on the people who exploit them? Evidence suggests that corruption inhibits criminal complaints and favors growth of the human trafficking industry in Mexico.
Association between PCOS and autoimmune thyroid disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Romitti Mírian , Fabris Vitor C , Ziegelmann Patricia K , Maia Ana Luiza , Spritzer Poli Mara
Published: September 2018

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. PCOS has been associated with distinct metabolic and cardiovascular diseases and with autoimmune conditions, predominantly autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). AITD has been reported in 18–40% of PCOS women, depending on PCOS diagnostic criteria and ethnicity. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarize the available evidence regarding the likelihood of women with PCOS also having AITD in comparison to a reference group of non-PCOS women. We systematically searched EMBASE and MEDLINE for non-interventional case control, cross-sectional or cohort studies published until August 2017. The Ottawa–Newcastle Scale was used to assess the methodological quality of studies. Statistical meta-analysis was performed with R. Thirteen studies were selected for the present analysis, including 1210 women diagnosed with PCOS and 987 healthy controls. AITD was observed in 26.03 and 9.72% of PCOS and control groups respectively. A significant association was detected between PCOS and chance of AITD (OR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.32–4.63). Notably, after geographical stratification, the higher risk of AITD in PCOS women persisted for Asians (OR = 4.56, 95% CI 2.47–8.43), Europeans (OR = 3.27, 95% CI 2.07–5.15) and South Americans (OR = 1.86, 95% CI 1.05–3.29). AIDT is a frequent condition in PCOS patients and might affect thyroid function. Thus, screening for thyroid function and thyroid-specific autoantibodies should be considered in patients with PCOS even in the absence of overt symptoms. This systematic review and meta-analysis is registered in PROSPERO under number CRD42017079676.
Inhibition of TAMs improves the response to docetaxel in castration-resistant prostate cancer
Authors: Guan Wei , Hu Junhui , Yang Lu , Tan Ping , Tang Zhuang , West Brian L , Bollag Gideon , Xu Hua , Wu Lily
Published: September 2018

For men with castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) often becomes ineffective requiring the addition of docetaxel, a proven effective chemotherapy option. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are known to provide protumorigenic influences that contribute to treatment failure. In this study, we examined the contribution of TAMs to docetaxel treatment. An increased infiltration of macrophages in CRPC tumors was observed after treatment with docetaxel. Prostate cancer cells treated with docetaxel released more macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF-1 or CSF-1), IL-10 and other factors, which can recruit and modulate circulating monocytes to promote their protumorigenic functions. Inhibition of CSF-1 receptor kinase signaling with a small molecule antagonist (PLX3397) in CRPC models significantly reduces the infiltration of TAMs and their influences. As such, the addition of PLX3397 to docetaxel treatment resulted in a more durable tumor growth suppression than docetaxel alone. This study reveals a rational strategy to abrogate the influences of TAMs and extend the treatment response to docetaxel in CRPC.
AUTOEFICACIA, ANSIEDAD PRECOMPETITIVA Y PERCEPCIÓN DEL RENDIMIENTO EN JUGADORES DE FÚTBOL CATEGORÍAS SUB 17 Y JUVENIL
Authors: Segura Castro Diego , Adanis Cerdas Diego , Barrantes-Brais Kristy , Ureña Bonilla Pedro , Sánchez Ureña Braulio
Published: September 2018

Propósito: Analizar las relaciones entre autoeficacia, ansiedad precompetitiva y percepción subjetiva del rendimiento deportivo en futbolistas de diferentes categorías (sub 17 y juvenil) de un club de fútbol costarricense. Metodología: Participaron 32 jugadores: 17 de la categoría sub 17 (todos con 16 años de edad) y 15 de la categoría juvenil (18.2 ± 0.77 años), con un promedio de edad general de 17.03 ± 1.23 años. Se aplicó escalas de autoeficacia general, ansiedad precompetitiva, autoeficacia específica y percepción del rendimiento. Resultados: Los jugadores sub 17 perciben mejor su rendimiento en comparación con los juveniles. La ansiedad somática registró una disminución significativa (F(2.46) = 10.21, p < .01) a través del tiempo en ambas categorías. Se encontraron correlaciones significativas (p < .05) entre la ansiedad somática y la autoeficacia específica; la ansiedad somática y cognitiva; la ansiedad cognitiva y autoeficacia específica; así como entre autoeficacia específica y general. Conclusión: Los datos muestran que los jugadores de ambas categorías tienen un comportamiento similar en la mayoría de las variables, se muestran relaciones significativas entre algunos indicadores y podría existir una capacidad de adaptación a lo largo de los partidos, evidenciada en la disminución de la ansiedad somática.
REVISTAS DEPREDADORAS: MERCADERES DE LA CIENCIA
Authors: Rojas-Valerde Daniel
Published: September 2018

Las personas investigadoras en el nivel mundial cuentan con múltiples alternativas para publicar y difundir sus producciones científicas. De la mano del desarrollo tecnológico, las revistas han digitalizado sus producciones, esto ha sido aprovechado por diversas compañías pseudoacadémicas para, con fines de lucro, ofrecer sus servicios de difusión. Este documento presentará ciertas pistas para diferenciar las revistas de calidad de aquellas denominadas revistas depredadoras.
Design of a Dynamometric Module for Studying a Motoblock Share-Moldboard Plow and Its Practical Testing by Using Reverse Engineering
Authors: Kupryashkin Vladimir F. , Ulanov Aleksandr S. , Naumkin Nikolay I.
Published: September 2018

Introduction. Plowing is one of the main operations in the cultivation of crops. It requires significant energy costs and efficient use of soil-cultivating machines, e. g. walking tractor (motoblock) with plow in this case. The analysis of work of the walking tractor shows that the object of the disturbances in plowing is its working body, in this case a plow, which is influenced by normal and shear interaction forces between the plow body and soil (Rx, Ry, Rz) which can be determined by spatial dynamometric disruption of the body. The aim of the study is to develop a dynamometric module and to research share-mouldboard plow of the motoblock using reverse engineering based on 3D scan. Materials and Methods. According to relevant literature and patent sources it is need to design a simple and functional device for the spatial dynamometrical body of sharemouldboard plow. This devise should allow to identify the forces Rx, Ry and Rz with high accuracy by dynamometrical measurements. We developed the device providing the measurement of all forces Rx, Ry and Rz by dynamometrical measurements. The authors received a certificate for rationalization proposal No. 1173 “Experimental module for dynamometrical measurements of share-mouldboard plow body” (22.01.2018. National Research Mordovia State University). Results. We designed and manufactured a dynamometric module, defined the geometry of this device, and tested the plow of the motoblock in the laboratory with identification of graphical and approximating dependency power of the interaction of the plow with soil. Conclusions. Obtained approximating equations allow us to analyze the nature of the change of interaction forces of share-mouldboard plow body of motoblock with the soil and calculate the limits their variation. In addition, the use of the power of approximating dependences allow us to determine the extent of their influence on the stability of the plow and the traction characteristics of the motoblock.
Determination of Operational Parameters for Belarus 922 Tractor Running on Mixed Fuel
Authors: Plotnikov Sergey А. , Buzikov Shamil V. , Taustyka Viktar S. , Cheremisinov Pavel N.
Published: September 2018

Introduction. The paper explores an impact of mixed fuel on the performance of the tractor in the process of agricultural work. The aim of the study is to obtain quantitative indicators of Belarus 922 tractor. The mixed fuel consists of diesel and rapeseed oil.
Materials and Methods. The operational research of the tractor with the installed set of instruments and equipment was carried out in the conditions of agricultural production.
Results. We obtained quantitative performance of Belarus 922 tractor running on pure diesel oil and on mixed fuel consisting of 60 % diesel and 40 % of rapeseed oil in plowing the soil and in processing before sowing. The analysis of the data showed a change in the specific performance indicators of the tractor running on the mixed and diesel fuel during agricultural processing. When plowing Gт value increased from 11.86 to 12.54 kg/ha, the amount of NOx increased from 344.4 to 373.2 g/ha, CO value increased from 136.9 to 137.1 g/ha, C value decreased from 11.2 to 8.04 g/ha. When processing the soil before sowing Gт value increased from 4.61 to 4.86 kg/ha and NOx value from 137,9 g/ha to 151 g/ha, CO value decreased from 60.7 to 45.6 g/ha and C value decreased from 6.52 to 4.04 g/h.
Conclusions. The test results demonstrate the expediency of using mixed fuel to improve the performance of Belarus 922 tractor in agricultural production.
Medical Student Interpretation of Visual Art: Who's Got Empathy?
Authors: Sampson Samuel , Shapiro Johanna , Boker John , Shallit Joel , Youm Julie
Published: September 2018

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Introduction: Physician empathy is a highly desired characteristic in clinical practice with benefits for both patients and doctors. Increasingly, medical educators have acknowledged the importance of empathy and sought effective ways of inculcating and strengthening this quality in medical students. However, empathy remains difficult to measure because of differing definitions and theoretical dimensions. Our goal was to develop a de novo visual Art scale, devised to evaluate empathetic response in medical students as well as a de novo Biosocial scale to measure medical student socioeconomic and experiential stress during childhood and adolescence; and to compare these exploratory measures to the reliable and well-validated Jefferson Scale of Empathy JSE). Methods: We constructed a survey incorporating a visual Art empathy measure, a Biosocial scale, and the JSE, which we sent to approximately 200 allopathic preclinical medical students at our home institution. We received 71 complete responses. Results: Cronbach's alpha testing found that the items in both new scales had adequate reliability. Multivariate regression analysis found a significant, positive association between both the visual art and biosocial scores and the JSE. Discussion: These results support the idea that response to visual stimuli, as well as life stressors, may be factors in medical students' capacity to formulate an empathetic response to patients.
THE ROLE OF ARGININE DEIMINASE FROM STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES IN INHIBITION MACROPHAGES NITROGEN MONOXIDE (NO) SYNTHESIS
Authors: Starikova E. A. , Sokolov A. V. , Burova L. A. , Golovin A. S. , Lebedeva A. M. , Vasilyev V. B. , Freidlin I. S.
Published: September 2018

The protective role of macrophages closely related to the production of bactericidal molecules, in which nitrogen monoxide (NO) play an  important role. Arginine serves as a substrate for inducible NO  synthase (iNOS) in course of NO production. Expression and activity  of iNOS are regulated by the availability of the substrate (arginine)  in the intercellular space. The bacterial enzyme arginine deiminase  also uses arginine as a substrate, causing its deficiency for host  cells. The aim of this study was to confirm the possible role of  arginine deiminase from S. pyogenes in inhibiting NO synthesis by  macrophages. For this purpose, a comparative study was made of  the effect on the synthesis of NO by macrophages of the products of  destruction of two strains: the initial S. pyogenes M49-16 and the  isogenic mutant S. pyogenes M49-16 delArcA with the inactivated  arginine deiminase gene (arcA). It has been shown that the ability of S. pyogenes M49-16 to inhibit production of NO by macrophages  depends on its arginine deiminase activity because the isogenous mutant of S. pyogenes M49-16 delArcA with the  inactivated gene arcA has lost its ability to inhibit NO synthesis. This allows us to consider the effects of S. pyogenes M49-16 as  effects of arginine deiminase. An analysis of the inhibitory mechanisms of the enzyme showed that suppression of NO synthesis was not associated with the effect of destruction products  of S. pyogenes M49-16 on the viability of macrophages. According to data of flow cytometry, incubation of cells in the presence of S.  pyogenes destruction products of the original and mutant strains did  not affect the level of iNOS expression, i.e. did not alter synthesis or  stability of this enzyme. At the same time, the decrease in NO  production under the influence of the original S. pyogenes strain  M49-16 correlated with a decrease in the content of arginine in the  culture medium. When exogenous arginine to the culture medium  was added, the effect of the original strain of the suppression of NO  production was declined. This confirms that the depletion of arginine  is the main mechanism of the inhibitory effect of arginine deiminase  on the production of NO by macrophages. The deficiency of NO  production in the course of streptococcal infection can lead to a  weakening of bactericidal activity of macrophages and to a decrease  in the effectiveness of antimicrobial protection.
BACTERIAL AND VIRAL PATHOGENS IN IXODES SP. TICKS IN ST. PETERSBURG AND LENINGRAD DISTRICT
Authors: Panferova Yu. A. , Suvorova M. A. , Shapar A. O. , Tokarevich N. K.
Published: September 2018

Tick-borne infections are the most common group of zooanthroponotic diseases in the Northern Hemisphere. For the  Baltic Sea region and Fennoscandia, the dominant infectious pathologies transmitted by ticks are tick-borne borreliosis and tick- borne encephalitis. The presence of vast forested areas, actively  visited by people in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region,  contributes to a rather high level of encroachment on the flares and  intelligence of the borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis among the  population of these regions. The relatively dangerous pathogens that can be transmitted with the tick bite are also of particular danger:  Anaplasma sp., Ehrlichia sp., Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia sp. In this  work, detection was performed using molecular genetic methods of  TBE virus, B. burgdorferi sensu lato and Rickettsia sp. in engorged  ticksple, as well as questing ticks collected from vegetation. The established levels of infection of TBE on infected ticks, levels of infection by pathogenic Borrelia of questing and engorgeded ticks  were approximately equal. Rickettsia was not found in the ticks. The  conducted analysis of the pathogens prevalence in comparison with  the data of russian and foreign authors. Monitoring the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens is an important issue in the prevention of tick- borne infections in the North-Western Russia.
RAISED IgM AUTOANTIBODY TITER TO LIPOPROTEIDE(A) AS ANTIATHEROGENIC FACTOR IN SEVERE HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA PATIENTS
Authors: Klesareva E. A. , Afanasieva O. I. , Kononova E. V. , Utkina E. A. , Ezhov M. V. , Balakhonova T. V. , Afanasieva M. I. , Pokrovsky S. N.
Published: September 2018

Aim.To investigate on the relation of lipoproteide(a) (Lpa), subfractions of atherogenic lipoproteides and titers of specific autoantibodies (autoAb) with the presence and severity of carotid arteries (CA) lesion in statin-naïve patients with severe hypercholesterolemia.

Materialandmethods.To the study, 133 statin-naïve patients included, age 18 to 75 y.o., with absent clinical signs of coronary heart disease, and with first time diagnosed severe hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol >7,5 mM/L and/or low density lipoproteides cholesterol >4,9 mM/L) with ultrasound duplex scan data of CA. All patients underwent measurement of Lpa concentration, lipid profile, subfractional content of apoB-100-containing lipoproteides and autoAb titer against them.

Results.According to the data from duplex CA scan, patients were selected to 2 groups: control group (n=76) with no CA atherosclerosis; main group — patients with CA stenosis >20% (n=57). The participants of main group were older than controls, with no other clinical or lipid profile differences. Titre of autoAb IgM specific for Lpa and its oxidized modifications was significantly lower in CA atherosclerosis comparing to controls. The grade of CA stenosis in severe hypercholesterolemia patients positively correlated with age (r=0,24, p=0,005) and negatively — with autoAb IgM to apoB100-containing lipoproteides (r=-0,28 and r=-0,26, p<0,005). Also, a correlation found for CA stenosis grade with subfractions of intermediate density lipoproteides of moderate size (r=0,21, p=0,032). AutoAb titre against Lpa was an independent predictor of CA lesion severity regardless the age and traditional risk factors by the data from multifactorial regression. By ROCanalysis with the highest diagnostic value (square under AUC =0,68) the level of autoAb IgM to Lpa lower than 0,083 lab. units, with sensitivity 40% and specificity 88% is related to the lesion of common CA.

Conclusion.In patients with severe hypercholesterolemia Lpa is an autoantigen, and IgM autoantibodies to Lpa play antiatherogenic role.