bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prospective one year study of corneal biomechanical changes following high intensity, accelerated cornea cross-linking in patients with keratoconus using a non-contact tonometer
Authors: Ziaei Mohammed , Yoon Jinny J , Vellara Hans R , Gokul Akilesh , Meyer Jay J , Thakur Sachin S , McGhee Charles NJ , Patel Dipika V
Published: December 2021

Purpose

To characterize corneal biomechanical properties utilizing a dynamic ultra-high-speed Scheimpflug camera equipped with a non-contact tonometer (CorVis ST, CST) in keratoconic corneas following continuous high intensity, high irradiance corneal cross-linking.

Design

Prospective longitudinal single-centre study at a tertiary referral center.

Methods

Corneal biomechanical properties were measured in patients with progressive keratoconus undergoing high intensity (30 mW/cm2), high irradiance (5.4 J/cm2), accelerated corneal cross-linking with continuous exposure to ultraviolet-A for 4 min. CST was used to assess corneal biomechanical properties pre-operatively and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months post-operatively. CST output videos were further analyzed using several previously reported algorithms.

Results

A total of 25 eyes of 25 participants were examined. The mean age of participants was 20.9 ± 5.3 years; 56% were male and 80% were of Māori or Pacific Island origin. Energy absorbed area (mN mm), was the only significantly changed parameter compared to baseline at all time points measuring 3.61 ± 1.19 preoperatively, 2.81 ± 1.15 at 1 month ( p = 0.037), 2.79 ± 0.81 ( p = 0.033) at 3 months, 2.76 ± 0.95 ( p = 0.028) at 6 months and 2.71 ± 1.18 ( p = 0.016) at 12 months.

Conclusions

The significant difference between the pre and post-operative energy absorbed area appears to reflect changes in corneal viscous properties that occur following corneal cross-linking.
‘Progressive peripheral anterior synechiae in iridocorneoendothelial syndrome- a crawling disaster’
Authors: D’cruz Rakhi. P. , Rao Aparna
Published: December 2021

Purpose: Iridocorneal endothelial (ICE) syndrome is well known to cause refractory glaucoma in young adults. Commonly acclaimed mechanism for trabeculectomy failure in these cases include accelerated subconjunctival fibrosis, abnormal endothelial proliferation, and closure of ostium. In the following article, we present a case of Iridocorneal endothelial syndrome that presented with refractory glaucoma after trabeculectomy due to rapidly progressive peripheral anterior synechiae causing angle closure and corneal decompensation that mandated a tailored surgical approach of management. Methods: This is a descriptive case report based on electronic medical records, patient observation, surgical intervention, and follow-ups. Case description: A thirty-eight-year-old-male presented to us with signs suggestive of iridocorneal endothelial syndrome with gonioscopy revealing peripheral anterior synechiae (PAS) over four clock-hours temporally. Uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) despite maximal medical therapy mandated augmented trabeculectomy with anti-fibrotics. The bleb failed within 3 weeks of trabeculectomy, with evidence of progressive crawling PAS causing endothelial decompensation and raised IOP. He underwent Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implant surgery with viscosynechiolysis and sectoral iridectomy under antiviral cover. This helped control IOP and retain corneal clarity, with no recurrence of PAS in the affected area. Conclusion: Progressive peripheral synechiae in ICE syndrome can cause early bleb failure and refractory glaucoma. Careful viscosynechiolysis and sectoral iridectomy alongside a second implant surgery can help salvage visual functions and preserve corneal clarity while preventing further progression of PAS in these eyes.
A systematic review of the characteristics of interventions that promote physical activity in adults with asthma
Authors: Tyson Leanne , Hardeman Wendy , Marquette Malcolm , Semlyen Joanna , Stratton Gareth , Wilson Andrew M
Published: December 2021

Physical activity is promoted in the asthma population through pulmonary rehabilitation, but limited funding and facilities are available. This review aimed to examine the effectiveness of interventions that promote physical activity and identify the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and other intervention components used. Five databases were searched, and 25 studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions had a significant positive effect on physical activity, sedentary behaviour, quality of life and asthma symptoms. BCTs used across intervention and control groups were similar in studies that showed effects and those that did not. Future interventions should employ techniques that help to maintain behaviour change.
Shaping the ‘inexplicable’: A social constructionist analysis of news reporting of familicide-suicide
Authors: Galvin Audrey , Quinn Fergal , Cleary Yvonne
Published: December 2021

Media framing helps to shape our understanding of the meaning of news events, often problematically. This study examines how this process interacts with the phenomenon of familicide-suicide, where a person kills one or more family members before taking their own life. A social constructionist analysis of the print media coverage of three high-profile cases in Ireland highlights framing and discursive patterns, contributing to an explanatory framework that is misleading and lacking in an evidence base. As well as a tendency towards broad and poorly supported claims-making, several primary causal frames are prevalent: mental health; financial debt; fall from grace; and ‘out of the blue’, whilst a domestic violence frame is notable in its absence. Coverage is found to be episodic in character, linked to dramatisation and more simplistic explanatory frames, rather than evidence-based analysis of potential causal factors for these incidents. Findings raise important questions for journalistic practice, regarding processes of selection and salience of sources contributing to overall coverage that is partial and biased, rather than an ‘objective’ representation of the social world.
Museum education and sustainable development: A public pedagogy
Authors: Hansson Petra , Öhman Johan
Published: December 2021

The question of how sustainability can be incorporated into all areas of society encourages museums to rethink their approaches to society and education. In this article, we argue that museums have the potential to become key public pedagogies for sustainable development and thereby play a crucial role in encouraging participation in sustainability issues. Due to the complexity of sustainability issues, and the potential disturbances of and difficult experiences resulting from exhibitions displaying them, we suggest that a theoretical framing for the teaching and learning of sustainability issues in museums is necessary. Thus, we argue that in relation to exhibitions displaying sustainability issues, museum education would benefit from a didactical framework in which the relation between teaching, learning, content and situation is taken into account. We also argue that a theoretical framework explaining the relation between exhibition, visitor and educational situation could inform pedagogical discussions about how to incorporate sustainability education into museums. Therefore, we suggest a transactional conceptualization of museum pedagogy for sustainability museum education based on John Dewey’s educational and aesthetic philosophy and Louise Rosenblatt’s theory of reading and writing as a potential approach to the teaching and learning of sustainability issues in museum education.
Navigating European education in times of crisis? An analysis of socio-technological architectures and user interfaces of online learning initiatives
Authors: van de Oudeweetering Karmijn , Decuypere Mathias
Published: December 2021

This study casts light on two online learning initiatives funded by the European Commission, and queries their role as policy actors in the long-term project of a “borderless” European Education Area and/or in the remediation of the so-called “refugee crisis.” Particularly, the study aims to contribute to existing research on the policy enactment of European education spaces, while also addressing their implicated times. Social topology has guided a theoretical-conceptual focus on bordering practices, socio-technological architectures, and user interfaces, and their enactment of forms of Europe. This informed the methodology to center around active navigations on user interfaces of these online learning initiatives, based on the argument that these concretize bordering practices and forms of spaces-times. The findings, presented as re-constructions of the active navigations, stress multiple possibilities EC-funded online learning initiatives to evolve, including shifting responsibilities and differentiated learning trajectories. By highlighting these possibilities, the study aims to interpose the relatively short development of digitalization in (European) education, in which digital technologies have been positioned as “flexible” solutions in times of crisis. The study thereby stirs up discussions on how European online learning initiatives could integrate long-term visions with crisis remediations and, accordingly, could support continuously renewable educational spaces-times.
The Paradoxical Relationship Between Health Promotion and the Social Media Industry
Authors: Zenone Marco , Kenworthy Nora , Barbic Skye
Published: December 2021

Mounting evidence suggests that problematic adolescent social media use is associated with poor mental health. To respond to increased adolescent mental health concerns, health promoters increasingly rely on social media initiatives to promote their resources, programs, and services. This creates a paradoxical situation where social-media-linked adverse mental health outcomes are addressed using the same tools and platforms that can contribute to the development of such issues. It also highlights several areas of needed critical assessment in health promotion usage of social media platform features and products, such as addictive platform design, targeted marketing tools, data collection practices, impacts on underserved groups, and conflicts of interest. To advance subsequent action on these tensions, we offer three recommendations for health promoters that build upon existing scholarship and initiatives, including adapting ethical guidelines for health promoters using social media, adopting conflicts of interest policies, and promoting interdisciplinary scholarship.
The Impact of Primary Care Providers’ Bias on Depression Screening for Lesbian Women
Authors: Sha Shuying , Aleshire Mollie
Published: December 2021

Primary care providers’ (PCPs) implicit and explicit bias can adversely affect health outcomes of lesbian women including their mental health. Practice guidelines recommend universal screening for depression in primary care settings, yet the guidelines often are not followed. The intersection of PCPs’ implicit and explicit bias toward lesbian women may lead to even lower screening and diagnosis of depression in the lesbian population than in the general population. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the relationship between PCPs’ implicit and explicit bias toward lesbian women and their recommendations for depression screening in this population. PCPs ( n = 195) in Kentucky completed a survey that included bias measures and screening recommendations for a simulated lesbian patient. Bivariate inferential statistical tests were conducted to compare the implicit and explicit bias scores of PCPs who recommended depression screening and those who did not. PCPs who recommended depression screening demonstrated more positive explicit attitudes toward lesbian women ( p < .05) and their implicit bias scores were marginally lower than the providers who did not recommend depression screening (p = .068). Implications for practice: Depression screening rates may be even lower for lesbian women due to implicit and explicit bias toward this population. Training to increase providers’ awareness of bias and its harm is the first step to improve primary care for lesbian women. Policies must protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Successful Use of Neurovascular Plug for Embolization of Scalp Arteriovenous Fistula: A Novel Technique
Authors: Alawneh Khaled , Al-Barbarawi Mohammed , Qawasmeh Majdi Al , Raffee Liqaa A. , Al-Mistarehi Abdel-Hameed
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

We report a case of a pediatric patient developing a delayed-onset scalp arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and pseudoaneurysm managed with a new technique.

Technique:

A 10-year-old boy presented to the outpatient clinic complaining of a growing pulsatile mass in the right side of the skull after head trauma 6 months ago. He had no neurological deficits. Imaging studies revealed scalp AVF with pseudoaneurysm. The arterial feeding was from the right temporal artery, while the blood was drained into the superior sagittal sinus and the facial vein. The fistula was occluded successfully by a microvascular plug (MVP). Follow-up angiography 1 year later showed that the AVF was no longer seen with complete embolization of pseudoaneurysm, total occlusion of the abnormal vessels, and the absence of MVP migration.

Conclusion:

To the best of our knowledge, we report the first case of successfully using MVP to treat scalp AVF. The MVP is a novel technique with its unique ability to achieve rapid, safe, effective, and permanent vascular occlusion through a single device. Besides, the possibility of delayed-onset traumatic vascular injuries should be considered in a patient with head or facial trauma.
Power, Resistance, and Place in Appalachia
Authors: Nardella Beth
Published: December 2021

This essay is an analysis of the power and resistance dynamics at work in West Virginia. Because identity constructs are often place-based, place and the meaning of place in Appalachia inform identity construction and are a powerful tool to harness for resistance. With extensive outmigration pulling Appalachians from home and local communities, the facets of identity tied to place become even more complex. Loss impacts the salience of the “idea” of home for many Appalachians. Identity that is place-based can offer a framework for building a deeper understanding of a region. At the same time, to comprehend resistance, it must have a specific context and location. Places are made up of many different identities that make creating solidarity extremely difficult. Resistance must be place-based but in order for movements to be effective, it must not rely solely on place. Appalachia has a strong history of resistance and resilience. The role of power in resistance provides context to explore West Virginia’s rich history of protest.
Revisiting This Girl Is on Fire: Seeking a Home for the Narrative During Lockdown to Uncover the Burning Embers
Authors: Yoo Joanne
Published: December 2021

This article relates the author’s insights about writing as inquiry that emerged while reading This Girl is on Fire: Seeking a Home for the Narrative during lockdown. It describes how the contemplative and expansive space of this narrative resonates with the in-between feeling of being locked down during a pandemic. Writing to inquire within in-between spaces is vital for exploring the rich and vibrant possibilities of the unknown.
Performance gains from adaptive eXtended Reality training fueled by artificial intelligence
Authors: Stanney Kay M , Archer JoAnn , Skinner Anna , Horner Charis , Hughes Claire , Brawand Nicholas P , Martin Eric , Sanchez Stacey , Moralez Larry , Fidopiastis Cali M , Perez Ray S
Published: December 2021

While virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies are being used for military medical training and beyond, these component technologies are oftentimes utilized in isolation. eXtended Reality (XR) combines these immersive form factors to support a continuum of virtual training capabilities to include full immersion, augmented overlays that provide multimodal cues to personalize instruction, and physical models to support embodiment and practice of psychomotor skills. When combined, XR technologies provide a multi-faceted training paradigm in which the whole is greater than the sum of the constituent capabilities in isolation. When XR applications are adaptive, and thus vary operational stressors, complexity, learner assistance, and fidelity as a function of trainee proficiency, substantial gains in training efficacy are expected. This paper describes a continuum of XR technologies and how they can be coupled with numerous adaptation strategies and supportive artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to realize personalized, competency-based training solutions that accelerate time to proficiency. Application of this training continuum is demonstrated through a Tactical Combat Casualty Care training use case. Such AI-enabled XR training solutions have the potential to support the military in meeting their growing training demands across military domains and applications, and to provide the right training at the right time.
Supercharged End-to-Side Anterior Interosseous to Ulnar Motor Nerve Transfer for Hirayama Disease: A Case Report
Authors: Abreu Tanure Aleixo , Rosifini Alves Rezende Luis Guilherme , Pazim Ana Carolina , Leal Ribeiro Marcel
Published: December 2021

Hirayama disease is a rare condition of cervical myelopathy. Its early identification and correction can optimize functional outcomes. However, late presentation and some more severe cases may be associated with loss of hand function. Among the cases described, there are no reports of nerve transfers for this condition. We presented the first case report of a Hirayama disease of isolated ulnar nerve impairment managed with nerve transfer. Electroneuromyography showed isolated preganglionic involvement of C7, C8, and T1, with no sensory changes. The patient underwent nerve transfer with anterior interosseous nerve to ulnar nerve supercharge end-to-side, recovering hand function in 7 months.
Functional Outcomes After a Physiotherapy Program in Elderly Patients With Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Type I After Distal Radius Fracture: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Gutiérrez-Espinoza Héctor , Zavala-González Jonathan , Gutiérrez-Monclus Rodrigo , Araya-Quintanilla Felipe
Published: December 2021

Background:

No published prospective studies have reported the clinical effects of physiotherapy at 1-year follow-up in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type I (CRPS I) after distal radius fracture (DRF). The purpose of this study was to evaluate at 1-year follow-up the functional effects of physiotherapy program in elderly patients with CRPS I after extra-articular DRF.

Methods:

A total of 72 patients with CRPS I after DRF were prospectively recruited. All patients were treated with a 6-week supervised physiotherapy treatment. Three evaluations were performed: at the beginning, at the end of the treatment, and at 1-year follow-up. Wrist function, upper limb function, grip strength, and pain intensity were assessed with the Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE), Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), Jamar dynamometer, and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), respectively.

Results:

At 1-year follow-up, the PRWE showed a decrease of 21.6 points (Cohen’s d = 2.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 18.6-24.6; P < .05); the DASH showed a decrease of 23.8 points (Cohen’s d = 2.9; 95% CI = 20.8-26.7; P < .05); grip strength showed an increase of 40.6% (Cohen’s d = 5.0; 95% CI = 43.5-37.6; P < .05); and the VAS showed a decrease of 2.6 cm (Cohen’s d = 1.9; 95% CI = 2.11-3.16; P < .05).

Conclusion:

At 1-year follow-up, a physiotherapy program showed clinically and statistically significant results in all functional outcomes in elderly patients with CRPS I after extra-articular DRF.
Opioid Medication Disposal Among Patients Following Hand Surgery
Authors: Yeung Celine , Novak Christine B. , Antflek Daniel , Baltzer Heather L.
Published: December 2021

Background:

Despite increased public awareness to dispose of unused narcotics, opioids prescribed postoperatively are retained, which may lead to drug diversion and abuse. This study assessed retention of unused opioids among hand surgery patients and describes disposal methods and barriers.

Methods:

Participants undergoing hand surgery were given an opioid disposal information sheet preoperatively (N = 222) and surveyed postoperatively to assess disposal or retention of unused opioids, disposal methods, and barriers to disposal. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to assess whether age, sex, pain intensity, and/or the type of procedure were predictors of opioid disposal.

Results:

There were 171 patients included in the analysis (n = 51 excluded; finished prescription or continued opioid use for pain control). Unused opioids were retained by 134 patients (78%) and disposal was reported by 37 patients (22%). Common disposal methods included returning opioids to a pharmacy (49%) or mixing them with an unwanted substance (24%). Reasons for retention included potential future use (54%), inconvenient disposal methods (21%), or keeping an unfilled prescription (9%). None of the patient factors analyzed (age, sex, type of procedure performed, or pain score) were predictors of disposal of unused narcotics ( P > .05).

Conclusions:

Most patients undergoing hand surgery retained prescribed opioids for future use or due to impractical disposal methods. The most common disposal methods included returning narcotics to a pharmacy or mixing opioids with unwanted substances. Identifying predictors of disposal may provide important information when developing strategies to increase opioid disposal.
Trying out loud: Leadership development as experimentalism
Authors: Kjærgaard Annemette , Meier Frank
Published: December 2021

Where does leadership development turn if its heroic ideals are no longer tenable? This study takes leadership practice, not the classroom, as its point of departure. Leadership studies have demonstrated the romance in leadership theory of an individual, stable, and coherent leadership figure, even if this figure does not connect to actual practices. In other streams of research, practice increasingly appears to be a resource for less presumptuous theorizing about leadership. These more situationally sensitive approaches call for equivalent leadership development practices, and extant literature in particular has escaped the confines of the executive management classroom to only a limited extent. While experiential learning has proved an efficient means of instigating and harvesting in-classroom experiences for subsequent reflection and learning, translating these experiences into (later) leadership practice has proved problematic. The mundanity of practice rarely corresponds to the theoretical exposés emanating from classrooms. Using a leadership development program (LDP) as our case, we explore accounts from managers carrying out in-practice experiments and analyze these processes in light of Dewey’s notion of experimentalism. Identifying a series of attributes associated with the experimental intervention, we illuminate some future avenues for situated leadership development as well as offer considerations for leadership development practice.
The Predictive Dynamics of Happiness and Well-Being
Authors: Miller Mark , Kiverstein Julian , Rietveld Erik
Published: December 2021

We offer an account of mental health and well-being using the predictive processing framework (PPF). According to this framework, the difference between mental health and psychopathology can be located in the goodness of the predictive model as a regulator of action. What is crucial for avoiding the rigid patterns of thinking, feeling and acting associated with psychopathology is the regulation of action based on the valence of affective states. In PPF, valence is modelled as error dynamics—the change in prediction errors over time . Our aim in this paper is to show how error dynamics can account for both momentary happiness and longer term well-being. What will emerge is a new neurocomputational framework for making sense of human flourishing.
Brain CT registration using hybrid supervised convolutional neural network
Authors: Yuan Hongmei , Yang Minglei , Qian Shan , Wang Wenxin , Jia Xiaotian , Huang Feng
Published: December 2021

Background

Image registration is an essential step in the automated interpretation of the brain computed tomography (CT) images of patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (ACVD). However, performing brain CT registration accurately and rapidly remains greatly challenging due to the large intersubject anatomical variations, low resolution of soft tissues, and heavy computation costs. To this end, the HSCN-Net, a hybrid supervised convolutional neural network, was developed for precise and fast brain CT registration.

Method

HSCN-Net generated synthetic deformation fields using a simulator as one supervision for one reference–moving image pair to address the problem of lack of gold standards. Furthermore, the simulator was designed to generate multiscale affine and elastic deformation fields to overcome the registration challenge posed by large intersubject anatomical deformation. Finally, HSCN-Net adopted a hybrid loss function constituted by deformation field and image similarity to improve registration accuracy and generalization capability. In this work, 101 CT images of patients were collected for model construction (57), evaluation (14), and testing (30). HSCN-Net was compared with the classical Demons and VoxelMorph models. Qualitative analysis through the visual evaluation of critical brain tissues and quantitative analysis by determining the endpoint error (EPE) between the predicted sparse deformation vectors and gold-standard sparse deformation vectors, image normalized mutual information (NMI), and the Dice coefficient of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood supply area were carried out to assess model performance comprehensively.

Results

HSCN-Net and Demons had a better visual spatial matching performance than VoxelMorph, and HSCN-Net was more competent for smooth and large intersubject deformations than Demons. The mean EPE of HSCN-Net (3.29 mm) was less than that of Demons (3.47 mm) and VoxelMorph (5.12 mm); the mean Dice of HSCN-Net was 0.96, which was higher than that of Demons (0.90) and VoxelMorph (0.87); and the mean NMI of HSCN-Net (0.83) was slightly lower than that of Demons (0.84), but higher than that of VoxelMorph (0.81). Moreover, the mean registration time of HSCN-Net (17.86 s) was shorter than that of VoxelMorph (18.53 s) and Demons (147.21 s).

Conclusion

The proposed HSCN-Net could achieve accurate and rapid intersubject brain CT registration.
Rounded atelectasis after exposure to refractory ceramic fibres (RCF)
Authors: Brueckner Ulrike , Schulze Anne S. , Walter Dirk , Kampschulte Marian , Schneider Joachim
Published: December 2021

Background

Refractory Ceramic fibres (RCF) are man-made mineral fibres used in high performance thermal insulation applications. Analogous to asbestos fibres, RCF are respirable, show a pleural drift and can persist in human lung tissue for more than 20 years after exposure. Pleural changes such as localised or diffuse pleural thickening as well as pleural calcification were reported.

Result

A 45 years old man worked in high performance thermal insulation applications using refractory ceramic fibres (RCF) for almost 20 years. During a occupational medical prophylaxis to ensure early diagnosis of disorders caused by inhalation of aluminium silicate fibres with X-ray including high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT), bilateral pleural thickening was shown and a pleural calcification next to a rounded atelectasis was detected. Asbestos exposure could be excluded. In pulmonary function test a restrictive lung pattern could be revealed. In work samples scanning electron microscopy (SEM) including energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) classified used fibres as aluminium silicate fibres. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed crystalline as well as amorphous fibres.

Conclusions

A comprehensive lung function analysis and in case of restrictive lung disorders additional CT scans are needed in RCF exposed workers in accordance to the guidelines for medical occupational examinations comparable to asbestos exposed workers.
Roles of tumor-associated macrophages in tumor progression: implications on therapeutic strategies
Authors: Zhu Shuangli , Yi Ming , Wu Yuze , Dong Bing , Wu Kongming
Published: December 2021

Macrophages are heterogeneous cells that present as different functional phenotypes due to their plasticity. They can be classified into two categories, namely M1- and M2-like macrophages, which are involved in processes as diverse as anti-tumor activity and immunosuppressive tumor promotion. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are defined as being of an M2-type and are considered as the active component in tumor microenvironment. TAMs are involved in multiple processes of tumor progression through the expression of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, protein hydrolases and more, which lead to enhance tumor cell proliferation, angiogenesis, and immunosuppression, which in turn supports invasion and metastasis. It is assumed that the abundance of TAMs in major solid tumors is correlated to a negative patient prognosis. Because of the currently available data of the TAMs’ role in tumor development, these cells have emerged as a promising target for novel cancer treatment strategies. In this paper, we will briefly describe the origins and types of TAMs and will try to comprehensively show how TAMs contribute to tumorigenesis and disease progression. Finally, we will present the main TAM-based therapeutic strategies currently available.
Towards an ecological definition of sepsis: a viewpoint
Authors: Bauer Michael , Shankar-Hari Manu , Thomas-Rüddel Daniel O. , Wetzker Reinhard
Published: December 2021

In critically ill patients with sepsis, there is a grave lack of effective treatment options to address the illness-defining inappropriate host response. Currently, treatment is limited to source control and supportive care, albeit with imminent approval of immune modulating drugs for COVID-19-associated lung failure the potential of host-directed strategies appears on the horizon. We suggest expanding the concept of sepsis by incorporating infectious stress within the general stress response of the cell to define sepsis as an illness state characterized by allostatic overload and failing adaptive responses along with biotic (pathogen) and abiotic (e.g., malnutrition) environmental stress factors. This would allow conceptualizing the failing organismic responses to pathogens in sepsis with an ancient response pattern depending on the energy state of cells and organs towards other environmental stressors in general. Hence, the present review aims to decipher the heuristic value of a biological definition of sepsis as a failing stress response. These considerations may motivate a better understanding of the processes underlying “host defense failure” on the organismic, organ, cell and molecular levels.
Organisations and the production of migration and in/exclusion
Authors: Lang Christine , Pott Andreas , Shinozaki Kyoko
Published: December 2021

The introductory article of this Special Issue explores the potential of an organisational perspective in comparative migration studies and for migration studies more broadly. Although organisations shape migration processes and the in/exclusion of migrants and their descendants in multiple ways, their role has long received surprisingly little attention in migration studies. Taking stock of the research engaging with organisations, we outline the main contours of the literature and suggest several conceptual perspectives that migration scholarship may benefit from. Based on the contributions included in this Special Issue, which focus on different types of organisations in diverse empirical contexts, we discuss three main patterns of organisational practices influencing migration and migrants’ trajectories. These pertain to (1) decision-making about in/exclusion and underlying categorisations, (2) the (re-)production of ‘migrant figures’, and (3) rationalities and structures shaping organisational practices.
Robotic Kinematic measures of the arm in chronic Stroke: part 1 – Motor Recovery patterns from tDCS preceding intensive training
Authors: Moretti Caio B. , Edwards Dylan J. , Hamilton Taya , Cortes Mar , Peltz Avrielle Rykman , Chang Johanna L. , Delbem Alexandre C. B. , Volpe Bruce T. , Krebs Hermano I.
Published: December 2021

Background

Effectiveness of robotic therapy and transcranial direct current stimulation is conventionally assessed with clinical measures. Robotic metrics may be more objective and sensitive for measuring the efficacy of interventions on stroke survivor’s motor recovery. This study investigated if robotic metrics detect a difference in outcomes, not seen in clinical measures, in a study of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) preceding robotic therapy. Impact of impairment severity on intervention response was also analyzed to explore optimization of outcomes by targeting patient sub-groups.

Methods

This 2020 study analyzed data from a double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized multi-center trial conducted from 2012 to 2016, including a six-month follow-up. 82 volunteers with single chronic ischemic stroke and right hemiparesis received anodal tDCS or sham stimulation, prior to robotic therapy. Robotic therapy involved 1024 repetitions, alternating shoulder-elbow and wrist robots, for a total of 36 sessions. Shoulder-elbow and wrist kinematic and kinetic metrics were collected at admission, discharge, and follow-up.

Results

No difference was detected between the tDCS or sham stimulation groups in the analysis of robotic shoulder-elbow or wrist metrics. Significant improvements in all metrics were found for the combined group analysis. Novel wrist data showed smoothness significantly improved (P < ·001) while submovement number trended down, overlap increased, and interpeak interval decreased. Post-hoc analysis showed only patients with severe impairment demonstrated a significant difference in kinematics, greater for patients receiving sham stimulation.

Conclusions

Robotic data confirmed results of clinical measures, showing intensive robotic therapy is beneficial, but no additional gain from tDCS. Patients with severe impairment did not benefit from the combined intervention. Wrist submovement characteristics showed a delayed pattern of motor recovery compared to the shoulder-elbow, relevant to intensive intervention-related recovery of upper extremity function in chronic stroke.

Trial registration

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Actual study start date September 2012. First registered on 15 November 2012. Retrospectively registered. Unique identifiers: NCT01726673 and NCT03562663.
Possibilities and limits for using the gut microbiome to improve captive animal health
Authors: Diaz Jessica , Reese Aspen T.
Published: December 2021

Because of its potential to modulate host health, the gut microbiome of captive animals has become an increasingly important area of research. In this paper, we review the current literature comparing the gut microbiomes of wild and captive animals, as well as experiments tracking the microbiome when animals are moved between wild and captive environments. As a whole, these studies report highly idiosyncratic results with significant differences in the effect of captivity on the gut microbiome between host species. While a few studies have analyzed the functional capacity of captive microbiomes, there has been little research directly addressing the health consequences of captive microbiomes. Therefore, the current body of literature cannot broadly answer what costs, if any, arise from having a captive microbiome in captivity. Addressing this outstanding question will be critical to determining whether it is worth pursuing microbial manipulations as a conservation tool. To stimulate the next wave of research which can tie the captive microbiome to functional and health impacts, we outline a wide range of tools that can be used to manipulate the microbiome in captivity and suggest a variety of methods for measuring the impact of such manipulation preceding therapeutic use. Altogether, we caution researchers against generalizing results between host species given the variability in gut community responses to captivity and highlight the need to understand what role the gut microbiome plays in captive animal health before putting microbiome manipulations broadly into practice.
Ultrastructural changes in cristae of lymphoblasts in acute lymphoblastic leukemia parallel alterations in biogenesis markers
Authors: Singh Ritika , Jain Ayushi , Palanichamy Jayanth Kumar , Nag T. C. , Bakhshi Sameer , Singh Archna
Published: December 2021

We explored the link between mitochondrial biogenesis and mitochondrial morphology using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in lymphoblasts of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients and compared these characteristics between tumors and control samples. Gene expression of mitochondrial biogenesis markers was analysed in 23 ALL patients and 18 controls and TEM for morphology analysis was done in 15 ALL patients and 9 healthy controls. The area occupied by mitochondria per cell and the cristae cross-sectional area was observed to be significantly higher in patients than in controls (p-value = 0.0468 and p-value< 0.0001, respectively). The mtDNA copy numbers, TFAM, POLG, and c-myc gene expression were significantly higher in ALL patients than controls (all p-values< 0.01). Gene Expression of PGC-1α was higher in tumor samples. The analysis of the correlation between PGC-1α expression and morphology parameters i.e., both M/C ratio and cristae cross-sectional area revealed a positive trend (r = 0.3, p = 0.1). The increased area occupied by mitochondria and increased cristae area support the occurrence of cristae remodelling in ALL. These changes might reflect alterations in cristae dynamics to support the metabolic state of the cells by forming a more condensed network. Ultrastructural imaging can be useful for affirming changes occurring at a subcellular organellar level.
Research on the historical and cultural value of and protection strategy for rammed earth watchtower houses in Chongqing, China
Authors: Shu Ying , He Ying
Published: December 2021

Chinese watchtower houses are part of the unique human cultural heritage of the world’s vernacular architectures. Many earthen manor watchtower houses in Chongqing, China, have absorbed the characteristics of other tower houses across the country and have brought together various types of watchtower construction techniques. They are important connection points for the integrity of the Chinese watchtower house as a comprehensive architectural cultural heritage system. They can be a typical sample of Chinese Han classical towers. These buildings are indispensable parts of the Chinese residential watchtower system and have important cultural protection value. However, due to the general lack of excavation and attention to their historical and cultural value, these buildings are on the verge of disappearing. Although they have lost their original architectural functions, they have important value in terms of their building materials, technical composition and artistic modelling. They can stimulate special emotional resonance and become an important bridge that maintains the cultural connection between ancient and modern humans. Therefore, discussing the historical and cultural value of Chongqing rammed earth watchtower houses, the strategy for heritage protection and utilisation is of far-reaching significance for Chinese watchtower dwellings.
Scrutinizing the Feasibility of Nonionic Surfactants to Form Isotropic Bicelles of Curcumin: a Potential Antiviral Candidate Against COVID-19
Authors: Mahmoud Dina B. , Bakr Mohamed Mofreh , Al-karmalawy Ahmed A. , Moatasim Yassmin , El Taweel Ahmed , Mostafa Ahmed
Published: December 2021

Investigating bicelles as an oral drug delivery system and exploiting their structural benefits can pave the way to formulate hydrophobic drugs and potentiate their activity. Herein, the ability of non-ionic surfactants (labrasol®, tween 80, cremophore EL and pluronic F127) to form curcumin loaded bicelles with phosphatidylcholine, utilizing a simple method, was investigated. Molecular docking was used to understand the mechanism of bicelles formation. The % transmittance and TEM exhibited bicelles formation with labrasol® and tween 80, while cremophor EL and pluronic F127 tended to form mixed micelles. The surfactant-based nanostructures significantly improved curcumin dissolution (99.2 ± 2.6% within 10 min in case of tween 80-based bicelles) compared to liposomes and curcumin suspension in non-sink conditions. The prepared formulations improved curcumin ex vivo permeation over liposomes and drug suspension. Further, the therapeutic antiviral activity of the formulated curcumin against SARS-CoV-2 was potentiated over drug suspension. Although both Labrasol® and tween 80 bicelles could form bicelles and enhance the oral delivery of curcumin when compared to liposomes and drug suspension, the mixed micelles formulations depicted superiority than bicelles formulations. Our findings provide promising formulations that can be utilized for further preclinical and clinical studies of curcumin as an antiviral therapy for COVID-19 patients.
Maternal food restriction during pregnancy affects offspring development and swimming performance in a placental live-bearing fish
Authors: Hagmayer Andres , Lankheet Martin J. , Bijsterbosch Judith , van Leeuwen Johan L. , Pollux Bart J. A.
Published: December 2021

How pregnant mothers allocate limited resources to different biological functions such as maintenance, somatic growth, and reproduction can have profound implications for early life development and survival of offspring. Here, we examined the effects of maternal food restriction during pregnancy on offspring in the matrotrophic (i.e. mother-nourishment throughout gestation) live-bearing fish species Phalloptychus januarius (Poeciliidae). We fed pregnant females with either low or high food levels for 6 weeks and quantified the consequences for offspring size and body fat at birth and 1 week after birth. We further measured fast-start escape performance of offspring at birth, as well as swimming kinematics during prey capture at 0, 2 and 7 days after birth. We found that the length of maternal food restriction during pregnancy negatively affected offspring dry mass and lean dry mass at birth, as well as body fat gain during the first week after birth. Moreover, it impacted the locomotor performance of offspring during prey capture at birth and during the first week after birth. We did not observe an effect of food restriction on fast-start escape performance of offspring. Our study suggests that matrotrophic poeciliid fish are maladapted to unpredictably fluctuating resource environments, because sudden reductions in maternal food availability during pregnancy result in smaller offspring with slower postnatal body fat gain and an inhibition of postnatal improving swimming skills during feeding, potentially leading to lower competitive abilities after birth.
The Long-Run Effects of Recessions on Education and Income
Authors: Stuart Bryan A.
Published: December 2021

This paper examines the long-run effects of the 1980–1982 recession on education and income. Using confidential census data, I estimate difference-in-difference regressions that exploit variation across counties in recession severity and across cohorts in age at the time of the recession. For individuals age 0–10 in 1979, a 10 percent decrease in earnings per capita in their county of birth reduces four-year college degree attainment by 15 percent and earnings in adulthood by 5 percent. Simple calculations suggest that in aggregate, the 1980–1982 recession led to 1.3–2.8 million fewer college graduates and $66–$139 billion less earned income per year. (JEL E32, I21, I26, J24, J31)
The Political Impact of Immigration: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Mayda Anna Maria , Peri Giovanni , Steingress Walter
Published: December 2021

This paper studies the impact of immigration to the United States on the vote share for the Republican Party using county-level data from 1990 to 2016. Our main contribution is to show that an increase in high-skilled immigrants decreases the share of Republican votes, while an inflow of low-skilled immigrants increases it. These effects are mainly due to the indirect impact on existing citizens’ votes, and this is independent of the origin country and race of immigrants. We find that the political effect of immigration is heterogeneous across counties and depends on their skill level, public spending, and noneconomic characteristics. (JEL D72, J15, J24, J61, R23)
Information Frictions, Internet, and the Relationship between Distance and Trade
Authors: Akerman Anders , Leuven Edwin , Mogstad Magne
Published: December 2021

We examine how the adoption of information communication technology affects bilateral trade. The context is a public program in Norway that rolled out broadband access points leading to plausibly exogenous variation in the availability and adoption of broadband by firms. We find that broadband makes trade patterns more sensitive to distance and economic size. These results are consistent with a model of trade with variable elasticity of demand. The model predicts that adoption of a technology that lowers information frictions enlarges the choice set of exporters and importers. This makes demand more elastic with respect to trade costs and thus distance. (JEL D83, F14, L86, O33)
Does Patient Demand Contribute to the Overuse of Prescription Drugs?
Authors: Lopez Carolina , Sautmann Anja , Schaner Simone
Published: December 2021

In an experiment in Mali, we tested whether patients pressure providers to prescribe unnecessary medical treatment. We varied patients’ information about a discount for antimalarial tablets and measure demand for both tablets and costlier antimalarial injections. We find evidence of patient-driven demand: informing patients about the discount, instead of letting providers decide to share this information, increased discount use by 35 percent and overall malaria treatment by 10 percent. These marginal patients rarely had malaria, worsening the illness-treatment match. Providers did not use the information advantage to sell injections—their use fell in both information conditions. (JEL D83, I11, I12, O15)
Labor Market Returns to Vocational Secondary Education
Authors: Silliman Mikko , Virtanen Hanna
Published: December 2021

We study labor market returns to vocational versus general secondary education using a regression discontinuity design created by the centralized admissions process in Finland. Admission to the vocational track increases initial annual income, and this benefit persists at least through the mid-thirties, and present discount value calculations suggest that it is unlikely that life cycle returns will turn negative through retirement. Moreover, admission to the vocational track does not increase the likelihood of working in jobs at risk of replacement by automation or offshoring. Consistent with comparative advantage, we observe larger returns for people who express a preference for vocational education. (JEL D15, I21, I26, J24, J31, O33)