bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Specific Influences of Early Acoustic Environments on Cochlear Hair Cells in Postnatal Mice
Authors: Chang Aoshuang , Chen Peng , Guo Shasha , Xu Nana , Pan Wenlu , Zhang Hongzheng , Li Cuixian , Tang Jie
Published: April 2018

The auditory function develops and matures after birth in many mammalian species. After hearing onset, environmental sounds exert profound and long-term effects on auditory functions. However, the effects of the acoustic environment on the functional development of the peripheral auditory system, especially the cochlear sensory hair cells, are still unclear. In the present study, we exposed mouse pups to frequency-enriched acoustic environments in postnatal days 0–14. The results indicated that the acoustic environment significantly decreased the threshold of the auditory brainstem response in a frequency-specific manner. Compared with controls, no difference was found in the number and alignment of inner and outer hair cells or in the length of hair bundles after acoustic overstimulation. The expression and function of prestin, the motor protein of outer hair cells (OHCs), were specifically increased in OHCs activated by acoustic stimulation at postnatal days 7–11. We analyzed the postnatal maturation of ribbon synapses in the hair cell areas. After acoustic stimulation, the number of ribbon synapses was closer to the mature stage than to the controls. Taken together, these data indicate that early acoustic exposure could promote the functional maturation of cochlear hair cells and the development of hearing.
Integrated Genomic and Immunophenotypic Classification of Pancreatic Cancer Reveals Three Distinct Subtypes with Prognostic/Predictive Significance
Authors: Wartenberg Martin , Cibin Silvia , Zlobec Inti , Vassella Erik , Eppenberger-Castori Serenella , Terracciano Luigi , Eichmann Micha David , Worni Mathias , Gloor Beat , Perren Aurel , Karamitopoulou Eva
Published: April 2018

Purpose: Current clinical classification of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is unable to predict prognosis or response to chemo- or immunotherapy and does not take into account the host reaction to PDAC cells. Our aim is to classify PDAC according to host- and tumor-related factors into clinically/biologically relevant subtypes by integrating molecular and microenvironmental findings.

Experimental Design: A well-characterized PDAC cohort (n = 110) underwent next-generation sequencing with a hot spot cancer panel while next-generation tissue microarrays were immunostained for CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, PD-L1, p63, hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (RHAMM), and DNA mismatch repair proteins. Previous data on FOXP3 were integrated. Immune cell counts and protein expression were correlated with tumor-derived driver mutations, clinicopathologic features (TNM 8th edition, 2017), survival, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)–like tumor budding.

Results: Three PDAC subtypes were identified: the “immune escape” (54%), poor in T and B cells and enriched in FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg), with high-grade budding, frequent CDKN2A, SMAD4, and PIK3CA mutations, and poor outcome; the "immune rich" (35%), rich in T and B cells and poorer in FOXP3+ Tregs, with infrequent budding, lower CDKN2A and PIK3CA mutation rate, and better outcome and a subpopulation with tertiary lymphoid tissue (TLT), mutations in DNA damage response genes (STK11 and ATM), and the best outcome; and the "immune exhausted" (11%), with immunogenic microenvironment and two subpopulations—one with PD-L1 expression and a high PIK3CA mutation rate and a microsatellite-unstable subpopulation with a high prevalence of JAK3 mutations. The combination of low budding, low stromal FOXP3 counts, presence of TLTs, and absence of CDKN2A mutations confers significant survival advantage in patients with PDAC.

Conclusions: Immune host responses correlate with tumor characteristics, leading to morphologically recognizable PDAC subtypes with prognostic/predictive significance. Clin Cancer Res; 24(18); 4444–54. ©2018 AACR.

See related commentary by Khalil and O'Reilly, p. 4355
Prospective Clinical Trial of Ixazomib, Dexamethasone, and Rituximab as Primary Therapy in Waldenström Macroglobulinemia
Authors: Castillo Jorge J. , Meid Kirsten , Gustine Joshua N. , Dubeau Toni , Severns Patricia , Hunter Zachary R. , Yang Guang , Xu Lian , Treon Steven P.
Published: April 2018

Purpose: Proteasome inhibition is of proven efficacy in patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). However, WM remains incurable with standard treatments. Novel agents, safe and effective, are needed.

Patients and Methods: We designed a prospective phase II study evaluating the combination of ixazomib, dexamethasone, and rituximab (IDR) as primary therapy in symptomatic patients with WM. Protocol therapy consisted of oral ixazomib, 4 mg, with intravenous or oral dexamethasone, 20 mg, on days 1, 8, and 15 every 4 weeks for induction cycles 1 and 2, and in combination with intravenous rituximab, 375 mg/m2, on day 1, every 4 weeks for cycles 3 to 6. Maintenance therapy followed 8 weeks later with IDR given every 8 weeks for 6 cycles.

Results: Twenty-six patients were enrolled. All patients had the MYD88 L265P mutation, and 15 patients (58%) had a CXCR4 mutation. The median time to response was 8 weeks, which was longer (12 weeks) in WM patients with CXCR4 mutations (P = 0.03). The overall response rate was 96%, and the major response rate was 77%. With a median follow-up of 22 months, the median progression-free survival was not reached. Grade ≥2 adverse events reported in >1 patient included infusion-related reactions (19%), rash (8%), and insomnia (8%).

Conclusions: IDR offers a highly effective and well tolerated, neuropathy-sparing regimen for primary therapy in patients with WM. This trial is registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov under ID NCT02400437. Clin Cancer Res; 24(14); 3247–52. ©2018 AACR.
As mulheres e a luz na obra de Umberto Boccioni
Authors: Bortulucce Vanessa Beatriz
Published: April 2018

Este artigo reflete acerca da poética do artista italiano Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916) tomando como eixo o tema da mulher em sua obra pictórica e escultórica, temática de importância na obra do artista, utilizada ainda em desenhos e telas de sua fase pré-futurista no sentido de compreender as relações entre os corpos, a luz e a atmosfera. A representação específica de mulheres junto a janelas e balcões persistiu em seus anos futuristas e possibilitou a expansão e o aprofundamento de suas pesquisas relacionadas à percepção da luz e sua incidência nos corpos, bem como a formulação do conceito de “escultura-ambiente”.
estética wabi-sabi: complexidade e ambiguidade
Authors: Okano Michiko
Published: April 2018

Este artigo apresenta um estudo sobre a estética wabi-sabi, desenvolvida por meio do zen-budismo e dos tratados artísticos chineses e aprimorada gradualmente com os aspectos genuínos nipônicos, como yūgen e yojō, presentes na literatura poética e no teatro nō. Tendo sido consolidada na arte da cerimônia do chá por intermédio do mestre Sen no Rikyū, wabi-sabi foi escolhida, graças a uma estratégia governamental, para ser a estética representativa da cultura japonesa, tornando-se, em meados do século passado, um dos “conceitos” artísticos japoneses mais conhecidos no Ocidente. Dada essa intrincada trajetória de aglutinações e deslocamentos culturais, pretende-se verificar algumas diferenças básicas entre as bibliografias sobre o tema na língua japonesa e em algumas línguas ocidentais.
Homenagem a Hubert Damisch
Authors: Bois Yve-Alain
Published: April 2018

Texto escrito por Yve-Alain Bois para ser lido na cerimônia fúnebre de Hubert Damisch. O teórico francês morreu em 14 de dezembro de 2017, e a cerimônia fúnebre ocorreu no dia 20 desse mesmo mês, no crematório do Cemitério Père-Lachaise, em Paris.
Juxtaposition, repetition, dance
Authors: Salzstein Sônia
Published: April 2018

This essay, approaching Richard Serra’s works exhibited at Instituto Moreira Salles in Rio de Janeiro, in 2014, discusses the remarkable interplay between sculpture and drawing in the artist’s production, this interplay having frequently resulted in drawings marked by such sculptural qualities as solidity, mass, weight, lightness, fluidity and, converselly, in sculptures and installations addressing architectural and structural issues. The text also points out to the cezannesque procedure which mark several drawings of Serra, where two dimensional surfaces usually basculate in steep angles, favouring a continuous switching back and forth between horizontals and verticals, flat and receding planes. From this relationship to drawing, as is argued, derives the crucial role gestures and action on materials play in this work, assigning to it a bodily plasticity.
Ensaio visual
Authors: Resende José
Published: April 2018

Ensaio visual
A contemporaneidade de Bispo
Authors: Cabañas Kaira Marie
Published: April 2018

Arthur Bispo do Rosário, paciente psiquiátrico que representou o Brasil na Bienal de Veneza de 1995, talvez seja o artista outsider mais conhecido do país. A análise que proponho de sua obra considera o significado de respeitar os direitos dos loucos, abordando seus trabalhos pela perspectiva da arte contemporânea. Bispo nunca atribuiu estatuto artístico à sua produção. Investigo se classificar seu trabalho como arte contemporânea, como faz Frederico Morais, não abandona um tipo de controle epistêmico (o psiquiátrico) para adotar outro: um formalismo estético atemporal. Defendo a necessidade de mais estudos para compreender como Bispo, cuja identificação psicopatológica se confunde com a discriminação de raça e de classe, se tornou um dos artistas brasileiros de maior prestígio.
πέφυκεν πλεονεκτεῖν? Plato and the Sophists on Greed and Savage Humanity
Authors: Balla Chloe
Published: April 2018

Fifth-century authors often invoke the idea that human beings are by nature savage, and that the civilized state of human societies is imposed on them by law and custom. A possible consequence of this idea is a pessimistic anthropological account, according to which pleonexia or greed is a natural characteristic of human beings, and therefore a justified drive of human behaviour. Scholars often attribute this pessimistic account of human nature to the sophists, whose views are considered to be reflected in the speeches of Plato’s characters Glaucon and Callicles. Taking into account the genres and the contexts in which the original sophistic arguments concerning savage humanity appear, as well as the practices for which such arguments were implemented, this paper argues that the pessimistc view of human nature is not a product of sophistic thought, but is rather developed by authors such as Thucydides, who uses it in order to explain the atrocities committed in the course of the Peloponnesian war, and Plato, who uses it as a foil to his arguments concerning the superiority of human nature.
Polybius’ Interpretation of Plato’s Arcadian Tale: Platonic Influences on Polybius’ Histories
Authors: Burghart William Devon
Published: April 2018

In his Histories, Polybius compares the descent of the rule of King Philip v of Macedon to tyranny to Plato’s description from the Republic of a man transforming into a werewolf. Such imagery is unique in classical Greek historiography, and exemplifies Polybius’ reliance on the idea of men acting like animals to describe when individuals or groups lose self-restraint, an idea found in Plato’s Republic. Plato uses θηριώδης to describe the ‘base desires’ of the soul that must be constrained by reason otherwise the individual will resort to crime or political revolution to satiate them. Polybius employs ἀποθηριόω in situations when individuals or groups lose part or all of their self-control, which results in self-destruction. The parallels in language and ideas indicate that Polybius’ idea of humans acting like animals derives from Plato. Recognizing this intellectual origin provides readers with a better understanding of the universal lessons of the Histories.
Al-Bīrūnī on Hermetic Forgery
Authors: van Bladel Kevin
Published: April 2018

In Central Asia in the early eleventh century, the Chorasmian scholar Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī recognized that the Arabic works attributed to Hermes Trismegistus were inventions of recent centuries falsely written in the name of the ancient sage of legend. He did, however, accept the existence of a historical Hermes and even attempted to establish his chronology. This article presents al-Bīrūnī’s statements about this and contextualizes his view of the Arabic Hermetica as he derived it from Arabic chronographic sources. Al-Bīrūnī’s argument is compared with the celebrated seventeenth-century European criticism of the Greek Hermetica by Isaac Casaubon. It documents a hitherto unknown but significant event in the reception history of the Hermetica and helps to illustrate al-Bīrūnī’s attitude toward the history of science.
Carabid and spider population dynamics on urban green roofs
Authors: BERGERON J. A. COLIN , PINZON JAIME , SPENCE JOHN R.
Published: April 2018

Green roofs are valuable ecosystems that enhance the biodiversity value of urban landscapes in northern Alberta. Using pitfall traps on green roofs and adjacent ground sites, we show that roof arthropods are characteristic of native grasslands that are threatened in Alberta. Although we found lower abundance of spiders and carabids on roofs, species richness as assessed by rarefaction did not differ between roof and nearby ground sites. Thus, arthropod communities of these extensive green roofs do not seem to be impoverished compared to ground habitats, despite differences in local environmental variables (e.g. substrate depth, surface, vertical isolation). Seasonal distribution of larval and adult captures in pitfall traps, and observation of egg sacs in spiders suggest that a number of species have established reproducing populations on these green roofs. Interestingly, carabid assemblages differed markedly in species composition between roofs and ground sites, but spider assemblages were much more similar. We explain this in relation to differences in dispersal ability between these taxa. Green roofs are likely valuable for urban conservation allowing native species characteristic of native grasslands to permeate through urban landscapes.
Generic assignment of Leuciscus kurui Bogutskaya from the upper Tigris drainage, and a replacement name for Alburnus kurui Mangit & Yerli (Teleostei: Leuciscidae)
Authors: FREYHOF JÖRG , KAYA CÜNEYT , BAYÇELEBİ ESRA , GEIGER MATTHIAS , TURAN DAVUT
Published: April 2018

The generic position of Leuciscus kurui Bogutskaya, 1995 is reviewed through a comparison of morphological and molecular characters (COI). The molecular data place L. kurui in Alburnus, close to Alburnus timarensis from the Lake Van basin. Alburnus kurui (Bogutskaya) is distinguished from this species by lacking a ventral keel and possessing both a very low number of gill rakers and midlateral scales. Alburnus selcuklui, from the upper Tigris drainage, cannot be distinguished from the widespread A. sellal and is therefore treated as a synonym of this species. Alburnus kurui Mangit & Yerli, 2018 is a junior secondary homonym of A. kurui (Bogutskaya, 1995) and A. carianorum is proposed as its replacement name. Several specimens of Alburnus caeruleus and Alburnus heckeli shared the same haplotypes as some A. sellal and therefore these species cannot always be distinguished by mitochondrial molecular characters. Alburnus caeruleus and A. heckeli are treated as valid species. Other individuals of A. caeruleus have haplotypes very different from A. sellal, and A. heckeli is well distinguished from A. sellal by having more gill rakers. The Lake Van basin as a separate freshwater ecoregion and the treatment of several species of Alburnus in synonymy of A. mento are discussed.
Writing against innocence: Entangled temporality, black subjectivity, and Drum writers revisited
Authors: Hu Xiaoran
Published: April 2018

This article examines the representation of time in narratives of childhood experience in Es’kia Mphahlele’s Down Second Avenue (1959) and Bloke Modisane’s Blame Me on History (1963). These two autobiographies are among the most widely-known works by the group of South African writers who have been loosely associated with Drum magazine in the 1950s. Originating from the early years of the anti-apartheid struggle and resonating widely with the heightened anticolonial resistance movements across the continent, writings by the so-called Drum writers, many of whom later went into exile, have often been viewed and criticized as “protest literature”, as literary works whose aesthetic merits are somehow compromised by the overt political purposes they appear to serve. This article seeks to revise such a reading by revisiting the politics of the stylistic innovations in these autobiographical narratives. Themes and motifs directly derived from the rhetoric of political protest, as I argue, in fact problematize a developmental logic governing the biographical transition from childhood to adulthood and contribute to a radical critique of linear temporality and teleological historiography. While writing from polemical positions and from inside the historical juncture of political resistance, these writers’ narrative reflections on and re-orderings of the relationship between the past and the present also partake of the process of refashioning modern black subjectivity, a significant move of literary intervention that still has profound resonance in our postcolonial, post-apartheid, and post-revolutionary present.
The decline of Employers’ Associations in the UK, 1976–2014
Authors: Gooberman Leon , Hauptmeier Marco , Heery Edmund
Published: April 2018

This article examines the collective, member-based employers’ associations in the UK that regulate the employment relationship by participating in collective bargaining. The main empirical contribution is to provide, for the first time, a longitudinal dataset of employers’ associations in the UK. We use archival data from the UK Government’s Certification Office to build a new dataset, identifying a decline of 81% in the number of employers’ associations between 1976 and 2013–2014. We also find that political agency and reducing levels of collective bargaining undermined employers’ associations by reducing employers’ incentives to associate, although changes within the UK’s system of employment relations enabled other types of collective employer organisation to survive.
Employment Outcomes and Job Quality of Vocational Rehabilitation Consumers With Deaf-Blindness
Authors: McDonnall Michele C. , Cmar Jennifer
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate employment outcomes for vocational rehabilitation (VR) consumers with deaf-blindness, a population that has received no attention in the literature. The sample was obtained from Rehabilitation Services Administration Case Service Report (RSA-911) data and included 1,382 consumers with deaf-blindness identified as their primary or secondary disability whose cases were closed during fiscal years 2013, 2014, and 2015. Independent variables consisted of consumer personal characteristics and VR service-related variables. Two measures of employment outcomes were used: obtainment of competitive employment and a composite measure of job quality. Overall, the results indicate that several VR service-related factors are associated with whether deaf-blind consumers obtain competitive employment, but consumers’ personal characteristics are much more important in determining job quality. Implications for improving employment outcomes for consumers who are deaf-blind include providing job-related services, supporting educational advancement, and providing counseling and guidance. Results also support the importance of accounting for employment status at application in RSA-911 analyses and the efficacy of service provision by separate agencies for the blind.
God, post-truth
Authors: Jameson Beverley
Published: April 2018

In a world of fake news and post-truth, where objective facts are less influential in shaping truth than opinions said with confidence and authority, where is God’s truth? Where is the Good News of Jesus Christ amidst all the fake news? This is discussed under three areas: God’s reality check (the truth of his word); our reality check (to personally examine ourselves and our behaviours to remain in God’s truth); and arguing God’s reality check (in a different form of apologetics based on conviction of belief).
Catholic homophobia
Authors: Loughlin Gerard
Published: April 2018

Understanding homophobia as a discursively constituted antipathy, this article argues that the culture of the Catholic Church – as constituted through the Roman magisterium – can be understood as fundamentally homophobic, and in its teaching not just on homosexuality, but also on contraception and priestly celibacy. Moreover, in this regard, the article argues for a hermeneutic of continuity from the pontificate of John Paul II to that of Pope Francis – the latter’s ambivalence repeating the ‘scrambling’ of speech that is typical of homophobic discourse.
Difficult texts: Psalm 1
Authors: Francis Leslie J. , Smith Greg
Published: April 2018

Psalm 1 poses a challenge for the Christian preacher regarding the grim judgement passed on the wicked. This study examines how thinking types and feeling types among preachers approach the challenge in distinctive ways.
The Way of Divine and Human Handing-over: Pauline Apocalyptic, Centering Prayer, and Vulnerable Solidarity
Authors: Smythe Shannon Nicole
Published: April 2018

The premise of this article is that in order for apocalyptic theology to be a valid form of God-talk, it must be explicit in its existential orientation by articulating the role of apocalyptic Christian practices. Following Barth’s exegetical insights, I first propose that the existential orientation for apocalyptic theology center on the divine handing-over ( paradidōmi) of Jesus in the incarnation and crucifixion, which has its positive human correlate in the apostolic handing-over of the tradition ( paradosis) by disciples like Paul. The confrontation by the apocalypse of the divine handing-over is therefore always existentially oriented. As Jesus hands over the Spirit to us (John 19:30), we are given the power to correspond existentially through the Spirit’s non-identical repetition of the death of Christ in us, to the divine prototype of handing-over through the vocation of witnessing to Jesus. Centering prayer is a Christian practice that functions within such an apocalyptic framework. Through centering prayer’s embodied practice of spiritual kenosis, the Spirit can form us, more and more, in the apostolic way of handing-over Jesus as we come daily into open situations of proclamation in which we are called to give embodied witness to the powerless power of God in the world.
Determinants of Priority Conflict on City School Boards
Authors: Ford Michael R. , Ihrke Douglas M.
Published: April 2018

In this article, the authors use original survey data to test the determinants of priority conflict on urban school boards in the United States. The results indicate that school district demographics, including the percentage of English language learners and education spending per pupil, impact the extent to which urban school board members hold conflicting priorities. In addition, boards whose members indicate they engage in continuous strategic planning exhibit comparably lower levels of priority conflict. The results are of interest to scholars studying the nexus of urban governing boards and performance, as well as practitioners serving on urban governing boards.
Nietzsche and the rhetoric of dialectics
Authors: Kuehne Tobias
Published: April 2018

Despite Nietzsche’s frequent disavowals of Hegelianism, scholars have repeatedly stressed Nietzsche’s affinities with Hegelian dialectics. Other scholars have responded by denying such affinities. Taking On the Genealogy of Morality as a case study and comparing it to the paradigmatically Hegelian A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of Right by Marx, this article argues that the question of whether or not Nietzsche is a dialectician unduly narrows the scope that Nietzsche envisioned for philosophy. For Nietzsche, a certain mode of philosophizing (dialectical or otherwise) becomes activated within a rhetorical matrix. Marx sees dialectics as the inexorable logic of history, but has to rely on the rhetorical persuasiveness of the chiasmus to make his claim plausible. Nietzsche, on the other hand, conceives of two incompatible logics: the nobles’ positive affirmation (non-dialectical) and the priests’ negative oppositionality (enabling dialectics). Instead of arguing for one logic over another, Nietzsche foregrounds their rhetoricity by performing the historically contingent invigoration and desiccation of each, leaving it to the reader to assimilate whichever mode of philosophizing they find most plausible.
For a migrant art: Samuel Beckett and cultural nationalism
Authors: Weller Shane
Published: April 2018

This essay charts Samuel Beckett’s linguistic migration from English to French at the end of the Second World War, locating this within the context of other twentieth-century literary migrations. It then proceeds to identify some of the principal ways in which Beckett seeks to resist forms of cultural nationalism (Irish, French and German). The distance that Beckett takes from these European forms of cultural nationalism is reflected not only in the migrant status of his characters, but also in the way in which he deploys national-cultural references. The essay argues that Beckett’s aim in this respect bears comparison with that of the ‘good European’ as defined by Nietzsche. An important difference, however, is that in Beckett’s case the emphasis falls not upon cosmopolitanism but rather upon a perpetual migrancy that is captured above all in his movement between languages.
The Sociology Literacy Framework and Students’ Views of Learning in Introductory Sociology
Authors: Howard Jay , Butler Jess
Published: April 2018

Discussions of the core in sociology have focused on faculty members’ perspectives regarding what should be taught in introductory sociology courses. Because the development of curricula is and should be a social process, we argue that students’ perceptions of learning outcomes also should be considered when curricula are developed. This study utilizes a content analysis of 461 student-authored, end-of-semester reflective essays concerning the most memorable learning that occurred in an introductory sociology course. Collected between 2006 and 2015, the assignment was utilized in each of 12 introductory sociology course sections taught by the same instructor at two universities. We then map student essay topics onto the Sociological Literacy Framework (SLF) to identify the themes most memorable to students, comparing responses of online, regional campus students with residential campus students. Results suggest the instructor placed the greatest emphasis on the SLF Sociological Eye theme and the least emphasis on the SLF Social Change and Reproduction theme. Students found topics within the SLF Socialization theme most memorable and rarely cited the SLF Social Change and Reproduction theme.
Teaching public budgeting in the age of austerity using simulations
Authors: Mallinson Daniel J
Published: April 2018

Public administrators are deeply affected by the global crisis in public finances. As public sector revenues remain weak and demand increases for spending and debt reduction, as well as tax reform, the newest cadre of public administration students must learn how to face the challenge of substantial uncertainty in public finances, regardless of whether they serve at the national, regional, or local level. Simulations offer an effective and powerful tool within a safe classroom environment for teaching students about the process and challenges of public budgeting. This article examines two free web-based simulations that can be quickly incorporated into an introductory public administration course. It further addresses differences in using the simulations as role-thinking or role-playing exercises. Observations from students and the instructor provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of isolated role-thinking versus collaborative role-playing. The procedures included can be adapted for any online budgeting simulation without requiring the instructor to create a great deal of content on their own.
“How does This Man have Learning, Since He is without Education” (John 7:15)
Authors: Neyrey Jerome H.
Published: April 2018

Paul says that he “knows the mind of Jesus.” And this study seeks the same goal, but one that focuses on Jesus' socialization into the cultural world of the House of Israel. We will consider the Gospel of Luke from the perspective of several social science models. We can learn much about Jesus when we consider him (1) as a group-oriented person; (2) as “socialized” to know about Israel's cultural world; (3) as a participant in Israel's purity system. (4) when we employ native rhetorical genres which instruct a speaker/writer to look for certain things, such as chreiai, which demonstrate the superior wit and wisdom of a recognized wise man, and two of the encomium's topics, “Nurture and Training” and “Accomplishments”; (5) when we evaluate the recovered materials in terms of the social-science concepts of “norms,” “customs,” and “laws”; and (6) when we consider the treatment of Jesus' paideia in Hebrews. Thus we recover and evaluate the materials concerning Jesus' socialization of the laws and traditions of Israel.
Cancer risk following alpha-emitter exposure
Authors: Tirmarche M.
Published: April 2018

The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) mandated a task group (Task Group 64) to review recently published epidemiological studies related to cancer risk and incorporated alpha emitters, and to evaluate whether the results might consolidate or challenge assumptions underlying the current radiation protection system. Three major alpha emitters were considered: radon and its decay products, plutonium, and uranium. Results came mainly from cohorts of workers, while for radon, major studies of the general population contributed to a better understanding of the risk of lung cancer at low and chronic exposure. Selection criteria for the review were: assessment of individual exposure of the target organ, long duration of the health survey, availability of attained age at end of follow-up, and adjustment for major co-factors. Task Group 64 is composed of members from ICRP Committees 1 and 2 (because epidemiological and dosimetric expertise were needed) and external experts. A first report (ICRP Publication 115) considered the risk of lung cancer related to inhalation of radon and its decay products. As the estimated excess risk per unit of exposure was higher by a factor of 2 compared with a previous ICRP estimate in 1993, Task Group 64 suggested a reconsideration of the reference levels for the workplace and for the general population. A second report, using the same standardised methodology (lung cancer baselines, population, life expectancy), will include estimation of the cancer risk of nuclear workers exposed to plutonium, focusing on the risk of lung cancer. A comparison of these risks with those of populations exposed to external gamma radiation alone will be made in the near future. For uranium, the results related to the organ-specific dose were too sparse to draw reliable conclusions, despite a recent publication. More research is needed on this topic.
Medical and health surveillance in postaccident recovery: experience after Fukushima
Authors: Tanigawa K.
Published: April 2018

The accident at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant occurred following the huge tsunami and earthquake of 11 March 2011. After the accident, there was considerable uncertainty and concern about the health effects of radiation. In this difficult situation, emergency responses, including large-scale evacuation, were implemented. The Fukushima Health Management Survey (FHMS) was initiated 3 months after the accident. The primary purposes of FHMS were to monitor the long-term health of residents, promote their well-being, and monitor any health effects related to long-term, low-dose radiation exposure. Despite the severity of the Fukushima accident and the huge impact of the natural disaster, radiation exposure of the public was very low. However, there were other serious health problems, including deaths during evacuation, increased mortality among displaced elderly people, mental health and lifestyle-related health problems, and social issues after the accident. The Nuclear Emergency Situations – Improvement of Medical and Health Surveillance (SHAMISEN) project, funded by the Open Project For European Radiation Research Area, aimed to develop recommendations for medical and health surveillance of populations affected by previous and future radiation accidents. This paper briefly introduces the points that have been learned from the Fukushima accident from the perspective of SHAMISEN recommendations.
ICRP Task Group 95: internal dose coefficients
Authors: Paquet F. , Harrison J.
Published: April 2018

Internal doses are calculated using biokinetic and dosimetric models. These models describe the behaviour of the radionuclides after ingestion, inhalation, and absorption to the blood, and the absorption of the energy resulting from their nuclear transformations. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) develops such models and applies them to provide dose coefficients and bioassay functions for the calculation of equivalent or effective dose from knowledge of intakes and/or measurements of activity in bioassay samples. Over the past few years, ICRP has devoted a considerable amount of effort to the revision and improvement of models to make them more physiologically realistic representations of uptake and retention in organs and tissues, and of excretion. Provision of new biokinetic models, dose coefficients, monitoring methods, and bioassay data is the responsibility of Committee 2 and its task groups. Three publications in a series of documents replacing the ICRP Publication 30 series and ICRP Publications 54, 68, and 78 have been issued [Occupational Intakes of Radionuclides (OIR) Parts 1–3]. OIR Part 1 describes the assessment of internal occupational exposure to radionuclides, biokinetic and dosimetric models, methods of individual and workplace monitoring, and general aspects of retrospective dose assessment. OIR Parts 2–5 provide data on individual elements and their radioisotopes. Work is also in progress on revision of dose coefficients for radionuclide intakes by members of the public.
The poetics of meaningful work: An analogy to speech acts
Authors: Mei Todd
Published: April 2018

Meaningful work refers to the idea that human work is an integral part of the way we think of our lives as going well. The concept is prevalent in sociology and business studies. In philosophy, its discussion tends to revolve around matters of justice and whether the State should take steps to eradicate meaningless work. However, despite the breadth of the recent, general literature, there is little to no discussion about how it is in fact the case that work is meaningful. There is a basic assumption that certain facts about work make it meaningful. After noting the shortcomings in the literature, this essay argues that we can better understand the production of meaning in work by an analogy to speech acts. Using Paul Ricoeur’s theory of action as discourse, one can see how meaning is predicated in the performance of work in ways that are locutionary, illocutionary, and perlocutionary.
Early initiation of zoledronic acid does not impact bone healing or clinical outcomes of hallux valgus orthomorphia
Authors: Yang Lei , Yang Maowei
Published: April 2018

Objective

This prospective randomized controlled study was performed to determine whether early drug use for osteoporosis impacts bone healing after orthomorphic surgery for hallux valgus (HV) in menopausal patients with osteoporosis.

Methods

This study included 113 consecutive patients with osteoporosis who underwent a combination of Lapidus arthrodesis and Akin osteotomy for treatment of HV. The patients were randomly divided into a zoledronic acid (ZOL) group (5-mg intravenous injection of ZOL, n = 56) and a placebo group (n = 57); both ZOL and placebo were administered 1 week postoperatively. Radiographs were taken preoperatively and at 1, 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks postoperatively to record the time of the first tarsometatarsal joint (FTJ) fusion and Akin osteotomy site healing. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) scoring system 24 weeks after surgery.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in the FTJ fusion time after Lapidus arthrodesis, healing time after Akin osteotomy, or postoperative AOFAS scores between the two groups.

Conclusion

Early initiation of ZOL does not impact the bone healing or clinical outcomes of orthomorphic surgery for HV in postmenopausal women diagnosed with osteoporosis after a combination of Lapidus arthrodesis and Akin osteotomy.
Therapy of cervical cancer using 131I-labeled nanoparticles
Authors: Li Wei , Sun Danyang , Li Ning , Shen Yiming , Hu Yiming , Tan Jian
Published: April 2018

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of two kinds of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-targeted 131I-containing nanoliposomes for the treatment of cervical cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Methods

The nanoparticle liposomes designated RGD-131I-tyrosine peptide chain (TPC)-L and 131I-RGD-L were prepared. The emulsion solvent evaporation method was used to encapsulate the polypeptide into liposomes. The quantity of entrapped polypeptide was measured using UV spectrophotometry. The labeling rates, radiochemical purities, and total radioactivities were measured using paper chromatography. Cytotoxicity was assessed using the MTS assay and flow cytometry. Therapeutic efficacy was monitored using a mouse xenograft model of cervical cancer.

Results

The labeling efficiency, radiochemical purity, and specific radioactivity of RGD-131I-TPC-L were greater than those of 131I-RGD-L. The cytotoxicity test indicated that late apoptosis of cells treated with RGD-131I-TPC-L and 131I-RGD-L was higher than that of cells treated with Na131I. The therapeutic effect of RGD-131I-TPC-L was better than that of 31I-RGD-L in the mouse model.

Conclusions

The specific activity of liposome-encapsulated RGD-131I-TPC-L was higher than that of 131I-RGD-L, which labeled liposomes directly. Moreover, the RGD-131I-TPC-L liposomes were more effective for killing xenografted tumor cells.
Surgical Strategies in Colorectal Cancer Metastatic to the Liver
Authors: Bozzetti Federico , Bignami Paola , Baratti Dario
Published: April 2018

Surgical resection remains a milestone in the treatment of colorectal metastases to the liver.

There is a distinct subset of patients who benefit from surgical resection in terms of longer survival or definitive cure.

The main effort of the surgical oncological regards the safety of the procedure and the adequacy of the recommendation.

Many studies, some of them including multivariate analysis, have shown the presence of prognostic determinants of long-term survival and prognostic indexes of the outcome after hepatectomy.

It is now accepted that liver resection should be done when the complete excision of all demonstrable tumor with clear resection margins is feasible.

Major contra-indication is represented by the presence of extra-hepatic intra-abdominal disease or of unresectable lung metastatic deposits.

There is a wide literature indicating that in very selected patients liver reresection and multiorgan synchronous or metachronous resections are beneficial.

The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and especially postoperative adjuvant local (intra-hepatic) and systemic chemotherapy is promising and supported by recent multicenter randomised clinical trials.
Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma to the Head and Neck Area
Authors: Navarro Fátima , Vicente Javier , Villanueva Maria José , Sánchez Antonio , Provencio Mariano , España Pilar
Published: April 2018

Aims and background

Metastases of renal cell carcinoma to the head and neck are rare. We report on three cases with tumor spread to this area (nasal cavity, tongue and larynx) and present a review of the literature.

Patients

The first patient presented with lung and nasal cavity metastases five years after renal tumor resection. In patient 2 the diagnosis of primary renal carcinoma and lung and tongue metastases was concomitant. In case 3 a primary kidney tumor was not suspected until radical resection of a tongue lesion was performed.

Results

The first two patients received radiation therapy. They had been previously treated with interleukin + interferon and vinblastine + interleukin 2 and achieved a survival of 14 and 16 months, respectively. The third patient has not been given any treatment to date (apart from surgery) and remains asymptomatic four years after diagnosis.

Conclusions

In patients with cell carcinoma the occurrence of lesions in the head and neck area may suggest metastases. In some cases they may precede the diagnosis of a renal tumor and mimic a primary head and neck tumor; otolaryngologists should be aware of this possibility. An individualized treatment approach is recommended. In the case of solitary metastases a surgical excision should be performed as palliation, if not cure.
Evaluation of Cisplatin Combined with Ondansetron in Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma in Vitro and in Vivo
Authors: Badary Osama Ahmed , Sharaby Sahar Moustafa , Kenawy Sanaa Abd El-Baky , El-Denshary Ezz El-Deen , Hamada Farid Mohamed Ahmed
Published: April 2018

Aims and background

Nausea and vomiting occur in the majority of patients receiving cisplatin (CDDP) chemotherapy. Ondansetron, a new 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, has been used effectively to control CDDP-induced nausea and vomiting. This study examined the potential of ondansetron to interfere with CDDP antitumor activity and toxicity in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC).

Methods

The influence of ondansetron on CDDP cytotoxicity was evaluated using EAC cells in culture. In addition, the influence of ondansetron pretreatment on CDDP-induced antitumor activity and host tissue toxicity was studied in EAC-bearing mice.

Results

Ondansetron (0.25 μM) enhanced CDDP (0–32 μM) cytotoxicity against EAC cells in vitro. In EAC-bearing mice ondansetron (0.2 mg/kg, ip) administered 1 h before CDDP (7 mg/kg, ip) did not modify the antitumor activity of CDDP. CDDP (7 mg/kg, ip) single treatment induced significant increases in blood urea nitrogen (2-fold) and serum creatinine (2.5-fold) and significant decreases in hematocrit (25%) and white blood cell count (39%) compared to saline treatment. Mice receiving ondansetron 1 h before CDDP showed no significant enhancement of CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity or myelosuppression compared to those pretreated with saline receiving the same dose of CDDP.

Conclusions

This study suggests that the use of ondansetron to control CDDP-induced nausea and vomiting does not affect CDDP antitumor efficacy.
Modulatory Effects of Melatonin and Vitamin E on Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma-Bearing Mice
Authors: Wahab Mohamed H. Abdel , Akoul El-Sayed E.M.S. , Abdel-Aziz Abdel-Aziz H.
Published: April 2018

Doxorubicin (Dox), an anthracycline antibiotic, has a wide spectrum of antitumor activity with dose-limiting cardiotoxicity. The drug's toxicity is known to be closely related to the generation of active oxygen free radicals. In our study the normal cardiac tissue contents of total protein, glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased, by 25%, 33% and 92%, respectively, in the group of mice bearing Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) and treated with Dox (4 mg/kg/week x 2, ip).

Administration of melatonin (5 mg/kg/day x 15, po) starting 24 hours prior to Dox treatment significantly increased the cardiac contents of total protein and GSH as well as the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, by 31%, 36% and 39%, respectively, compared to treatment with Dox only, while the content of MDA was decreased by 26%. Similarly, administration of vitamin E (250 mg/kg/day x 15, po) starting 24 hours prior to Dox treatment significantly increased the cardiac contents of total protein, GSH and SOD, by 23%, 26% and 42%, respectively, while the cardiac content of MDA was decreased by 35% compared with the Dox-only-treated group.

As to the oncolytic activity of Dox, pretreatment of EAC-bearing mice with melatonin (5 mg/kg/day x 30, po) or vitamin E (250 mg/kg/day x 30, po) 24 hours prior to Dox administration (4 mg/kg/week x 4, ip) improved the antitumor activity of Dox as indicated by the increase in the average life span of the animals and the number of long-term survivors as well as the decrease in body weight loss induced by Dox treatment.

It is clear from these results that administration of melatonin not only protects against the cardiotoxicity induced by Dox treatment but also enhances its antitumor activity to a more significant extent than does vitamin E.
Detection of Breast Cancer Cells in the Bone Marrow or Peripheral Blood: Methods and Prognostic Significance
Authors: Lalle Maurizio , De Rosa Luca , Marzetti Luigi , Montuoro Aldo
Published: April 2018

Tumor cells can reach every anatomic district, organ and tissue through the peripheral blood circulation. Tumor cell shedding is considered an early event in the multi-phase process of metastasis, and the possibility of detecting tumor cells in the bloodstream and/or bone marrow before clinical evidence of distant metastases needs to be explored. The use of new sophisticated diagnostic and investigative techniques has boosted the study of tumor cell contamination of bone marrow and peripheral blood. Molecular techniques, such as reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, may be useful tools to reach this target, but, today, immunocytochemistry is still considered the gold standard to assess new techniques to detect isolated tumor cells in hematopoietic tissue. Little is known about the biology of isolated tumor cells in the peripheral blood or bone marrow. Two crucial points need to be evaluated: the identification of specific markers of breast cancer cells with clonogenic potential and their biologic properties, and the prognostic impact of the detection of isolated tumor cells in the bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell collections.
Recurrent Spontaneous Pneumothorax following High-Dose Chemotherapy in a Patient with Non-Seminomatous Testicular Cancer with Pulmonary Metastases
Authors: Özet Ahmet , Yavuz Ali Aydin , Öztürk Bekir , Kömürcü Şeref , Arpaci Fikret , Tuvay Erdem , Tezcan Yilmaz
Published: April 2018

With modern treatment modalities it is possible to obtain a long survival in patients with non-seminomatous testicular cancer. Chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment in metastatic cases. High-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is a good salvage treatment for recurrent cases. However, the modality has serious complications. We present a rare case of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax due to rupture of residual cystic lesions after high-dose chemotherapy in a patient with pulmonary metastases. Such a situation has been rarely reported.