bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Exploration of intramolecular split G-quadruplex and its analytical applications
Authors: Lv Mengmeng , Guo Yuchun , Ren Jiangtao , Wang Erkang
Published: August 2019

Distinct from intermolecular split G-quadruplex (Inter-SG), intramolecular split G-quadruplex (Intra-SG) which could be generated in a DNA spacer-inserted G-quadruplex strand has not been systematically explored. Not only is it essential for the purpose of simplicity of DNA-based bioanalytical applications, but also it will give us hints how to design split G-quadruplex-based system. Herein, comprehensive information is provided about influences of spacer length and split mode on the formation of Intra-SG, how to adjust its thermodynamic stability, and selection of optimal Intra-SG for bioanalysis. For instances, non-classical Intra-SG (e.g. 2:10, 4:8 and 5:7) displays lower stability than classical split strands (3:9, 6:6 and 9:3), which is closely related to integrity of consecutive guanine tract; as compared to regular Intra-SG structures, single-thymine capped ones have reduced melting temperature, providing an effective approach to adjustment of stability. It is believed that the disclosed rules in this study will contribute to the effective application of split G-quadruplex in the field of DNA technology in the future.
Kinetic and subcellular analysis of PS-ASO/protein interactions with P54nrb and RNase H1
Authors: Vickers Timothy A , Rahdar Meghdad , Prakash Thazha P , Crooke Stanley T
Published: August 2019

The rapid RNase H1-dependent mislocalization of heterodimer proteins P54nrb and PSF to nucleoli is an early event in the pathway that explains the effects of most toxic phosphorothioate ASOs (PS-ASOs). Using a recently developed NanoLuciferace (NLuc)-based structural complementation reporter system which allows us to observe ASO/protein interactions in real time in live cells, we have determined that safe and toxic PS-ASOs associate with these proteins with kinetics and impact on subcellular localization that differ. Toxic PS-ASOs interact in a complex that includes RNase H1, P54nrb and PSF; but RNase H1/P54nrb complexes were observed in only the cells treated with toxic, but not safe PS-ASOs. In addition, experiments performed in vitro suggest that RNA is also a required component of the complex. The protein–protein interaction between P54nrb and RNase H1 requires the spacer region of RNAse H1, while the P54nrb core domains are required for association with RNase H1. In addition, we have determined that PS-ASOs bind P54nrb via RRM1 and RRM2, while they bind RNase H1 primarily via the hybrid binding domain, however catalytic domain interactions also contribute to overall affinity. These ASO–protein interactions are highly influenced by the chemistry of the PS-ASO binding environment, however little correlation between affinity for specific proteins and PS-ASO toxicity was observed.
Disruption of splicing-regulatory elements using CRISPR/Cas9 to rescue spinal muscular atrophy in human iPSCs and mice
Authors: Li Jin-Jing , Lin Xiang , Tang Cheng , Lu Ying-Qian , Hu Xinde , Zuo Erwei , Li He , Ying Wenqin , Sun Yidi , Lai Lu-Lu , Chen Hai-Zhu , Guo Xin-Xin , Zhang Qi-Jie , Wu Shuang , Zhou Changyang , Shen Xiaowen , Wang Qifang , Lin Min-Ting , Ma Li-Xiang , Wang Ning , Krainer Adrian R , Shi Linyu , Yang Hui , Chen Wan-Jin
Published: August 2019

We here report a genome-editing strategy to correct spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Rather than directly targeting the pathogenic exonic mutations, our strategy employed Cas9 and guide-sgRNA for the targeted disruption of intronic splicing-regulatory elements. We disrupted intronic splicing silencers (ISSs, including ISS-N1 and ISS + 100) of survival motor neuron (SMN) 2, a key modifier gene of SMA, to enhance exon 7 inclusion and full-length SMN expression in SMA iPSCs. Survival of splicing-corrected iPSC-derived motor neurons was rescued with SMN restoration. Furthermore, co-injection of Cas9 mRNA from Streptococcus pyogenes (SpCas9) or Cas9 from Staphylococcus aureus (SaCas9) alongside their corresponding sgRNAs targeting ISS-N1 into zygotes rescued 56% and 100% of severe SMA transgenic mice (Smn−/−, SMN2tg/−). The median survival of the resulting mice was extended to >400 days. Collectively, our study provides proof-of-principle for a new strategy to therapeutically intervene in SMA and other RNA-splicing-related diseases.
Interest in Illicit Purchase of Cigarettes Under a Very Low Nicotine Content Product Standard
Authors: Hall Marissa G , Byron M Justin , Brewer Noel T , Noar Seth M , Ribisl Kurt M
Published: August 2019

Significance

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering a very low nicotine content (VLNC) product standard to substantially reduce nicotine in cigarettes. We examined whether learning about a potential VLNC standard increased smokers’ interest in illicit purchases of cigarettes with regular nicotine content if such a standard were adopted.

Methods

Participants were a national convenience sample of 1712 US adult smokers. In an online experiment, we randomly assigned smokers to view information about a new VLNC standard (experimental condition) or no information (control condition). The experimental condition explained that a VLNC standard would remove 95% of the nicotine in cigarettes and would require stores to only sell VLNC cigarettes. Then, the survey assessed smokers’ interest in purchasing regular cigarettes from three illicit sources.

Results

Smokers who learned about the VLNC standard were more likely to be very or extremely interested in purchasing regular cigarettes illicitly from a Web site compared to smokers in the control group (24% vs. 16%, p < .001). They were also more interested in illicitly buying cigarettes from a street vendor (19% vs. 13%, p < .001) and a store on an Indian reservation (28% vs. 22%, p < .05), compared to the control. The impact of learning about the VLNC standard on interest in illicit purchases did not differ by smoking frequency or current e-cigarette use.

Conclusions

A VLNC standard could increase smokers’ interest in illicit purchases of regular nicotine cigarettes. To prevent VLNC-induced illicit trade from undermining public health, FDA should consider proven measures such as track and trace for these products.

Implications

Little is known about how a VLNC cigarette standard would affect consumer interest in regular content cigarettes purchased from illicit sources (eg, the Internet). We found that smokers informed about a potential VLNC product standard had greater interest in illicit cigarette purchases, compared to controls. This suggests the importance of proactive measures accompanying a VLNC standard, such as track-and-trace cigarette packaging regulations and communication campaigns, in order to maximize the standard’s public health impact.
Nicotine Reduction in Cigarettes: Literature Review and Gap Analysis
Authors: Berman Micah L , Glasser Allison M
Published: August 2019

Background

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering reducing nicotine levels in cigarettes to “minimally or non-addictive levels.” However, important research gaps remain, and the FDA must determine when the available research is sufficient to support moving forward.

Methods

The authors conducted a systematic review of research articles in PubMed relating to nicotine reduction. Building on a review of risk assessment best practices, the authors also developed a risk assessment framework for tobacco regulation and used it to guide a gap analysis of nicotine reduction research.

Results

The final sample consisted of 78 articles. The majority examined either nicotine dependence on very low nicotine cigarettes (VLNCs) or markers of potential health effects of using VLNCs. One-third of the identified articles reported results from four large randomized controlled trials (RCTs). While these studies report promising results and suggest that a nicotine reduction rule would be a powerful tool to reduce cigarette smoking, our gap analysis suggests that there is a need for studies that better reflect the use and availability of a wide range of tobacco/nicotine products and the potential for dual- or multi-product use.

Conclusion

The current body of research on nicotine reduction is weighted towards RCTs, which is appropriate for a policy that has not yet been implemented anywhere in the world. The FDA must consider a wide range of factors that may impact a product standard’s public health impact, including those difficult to assess in RCTs, such as a nicotine reduction rule’s impact on smoking initiation and relapse.

Implications

This systematic review presents a gap analysis based on a risk assessment framework to help identify remaining research priorities to inform FDA’s potential product standard to reduce nicotine levels in cigarettes. Quickly addressing those gaps would support the FDA’s effort to develop a nicotine reduction product standard that will be effective and withstand legal challenges.
Identification of Policy Priorities to Address the Burden of Smokeless Tobacco in Pakistan: A Multimethod Analysis
Authors: Siddiqi Kamran , Islam Ziauddin , Khan Zohaib , Siddiqui Faraz , Mishu Masuma , Dogar Omara , Shah Vandana , Khan Javaid , Pokhrel Subhash , Iqbal Romaina , Bauld Linda , Sheikh Aziz , Grugel Jean ,   ASTRA
Published: August 2019

Introduction

We assessed the magnitude of smokeless tobacco (ST) use in Pakistan and identified policy gaps to help ascertain short-, medium-, and long-term priorities. We then elicited stakeholders’ views as to which of these identified priorities are most important.

Methods

In a multimethod study, we: analyzed Global Tobacco Surveillance System data sets to estimate ST consumption and disease burden; conducted a documentary review to identify gaps in policies to control ST in comparison with smoking; elicited stakeholders’ views in an interactive workshop to identify a set of policy options available to address ST burden in Pakistan; and ranked policy priorities using a postevent survey.

Results

Among all tobacco users in Pakistan (n = 24 million), one-third of men and two-thirds of women consume ST. In 2017, its use led to an estimated 18 711 deaths due to cancer and ischemic heart disease. Compared to smoking, policies to control ST lag behind significantly. Priority areas for ST policies included: banning ST sale to and by minors, advocacy campaigns, introduction of licensing, levying taxes on ST, and standardizing ST packaging. A clear commitment to close cooperation between state actors and stakeholder groups is needed to create a climate of support and information for effective policy making.

Conclusions

Smokeless tobacco control in Pakistan should focus on four key policy instruments: legislation, education, fiscal policies, and quit support. More research into the effectiveness of such policies is also needed.

Implications

A number of opportunities to improve ST regulation in Pakistan were identified. Among these, immediate priorities include banning ST sale to and by minors, mobilizing advocacy campaign, introduction of licensing through the 1958 Tobacco Vendors Act, levying taxes on ST, and standardizing ST packaging.
Smoking Cessation, Weight Gain, and the Trajectory of Estimated Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: 8-Year Follow-up From a Prospective Cohort Study
Authors: Chen Sanmei , Kawasaki Yohei , Hu Huanhuan , Kuwahara Keisuke , Yamamoto Makoto , Uehara Akihiko , Honda Toru , Yamamoto Shuichiro , Nakagawa Tohru , Miyamoto Toshiaki , Okazaki Hiroko , Hori Ai , Shimizu Makiko , Murakami Taizo , Kochi Takeshi , Eguchi Masafumi , Imai Teppei , Nishihara Akiko , Tomita Kentaro , Akter Shamima , Kabe Isamu , Mizoue Tetsuya , Dohi Seitaro
Published: August 2019

Introduction

The effect of weight gain following smoking cessation on cardiovascular risks is unclear. We aimed to prospectively investigate the association of weight gain following smoking cessation with the trajectory of estimated risks of coronary heart disease (CHD).

Methods

In a cohort of 18 562 Japanese male employees aged 30–64 years and initially free of cardiovascular diseases, participants were exclusively grouped into sustained smokers, quitters with weight gain (body weight increase ≥5%), quitters without weight gain (body weight increase <5% or weight loss), and never smokers. Global 10-year CHD risk was annually estimated by using a well-validated prediction model for the Japanese population. Linear mixed models and piecewise linear mixed models were used to compare changes in the estimated 10-year CHD risk by smoking status and weight change following smoking cessation.

Results

During a maximum of 8-year follow-up, both quitters with and without weight gain had a substantially decreased level of estimated 10-year CHD risk after quitting smoking, compared with sustained smokers (all ps for mean differences < .001). The estimated 10-year CHD risk within the first year after cessation decreased more rapidly in quitters without weight gain than in quitters with weight gain (change rate [95% confidence interval, CI] −0.90 [−1.04 to −0.75] vs. −0.40 [−0.60 to −0.19] % per year, p < .0001). Thereafter, the estimated 10-year CHD risk in both groups increased at similar rates (change rate [95% CI] −0.07 [−0.21 to 0.07] vs. 0.11 [−0.09 to 0.30] % per year, p = .16, from year 1 to year 2; and 0.10 [0.05 to 0.15] vs. 0.11 [0.04 to 0.18] % per year, p = .80, from year 2 to year 8).

Conclusions

In this population of middle-aged, Japanese male workers, smoking cessation greatly reduces the estimated 10-year risk of CHD. However, weight gain weakens the beneficial effect of quitting smoking in a temporary and limited fashion.

Implications

To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effect of weight gain following smoking cessation on the trajectory of the absolute risk of CHD. Our data imply that the benefits of cessation for reducing the absolute risk of CHD outweigh the potential risk increase due to weight gain, and suggest that in order to maximize the beneficial effects of quitting smoking, interventions to control post-cessation weight gain might be warranted.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Authors: Nishikawa Kinohi
Published: August 2019

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is an African American literary critic, cultural historian, television host and scriptwriter, and educator. He is currently the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University, where he is also professor of African and African American studies, professor of English, and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research. Gates is the most important critic, theorist, and editor of African American literature of his generation, and the central figure on whom the institutionalization of African American literary study rests. He was born on 16 September 1950, in Keyser, West Virginia, to a working-class family in a segregated part of town. A misdiagnosed hip injury in his teenage years left Gates with a disability that he was able to turn into an affectionate nickname, “Skip.” He received a degree in history from Yale University in 1973 and earned his PhD from Clare College, Cambridge, in 1979. One of his mentors at Cambridge was the Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka, who helped Gates understand black literary expression as a diasporic phenomenon. Upon completion of his dissertation, Gates was appointed an assistant professor of English and Afro-American studies at Yale. He moved to Cornell University, which granted him tenure, in 1985, and then went on to Duke University in 1989, staying there for two years. Harvard University recruited him in 1991, and he has been at the institution ever since. While a faculty member at Harvard, Gates has expanded the reach of his work, writing general nonfiction for nationally circulating publications and hosting and producing documentaries for public-television broadcasting. Through that work, Gates has made African American studies recognizable as a robust intellectual project and an integral part of higher education to the broader public. Although he is best known today for his television appearances, Gates maintains his interest in African American literary study, continuing to edit key works from the tradition and writing criticism based on his findings.
Anne Boleyn
Authors: Bordo Susan
Published: August 2019

Anne Boleyn (b. 1501–d. 1536), Henry VIII’s second wife, is an endlessly fascinating historical figure about whom we know very little with certainty, yet who has inspired countless works, both fictional and nonfictional. The significant events of her life and death—Henry VIII’s courtship and the momentous historical ruptures that followed, the birth of Elizabeth I, Anne’s beheading on charges of adultery and treason (not witchcraft, as is commonly thought)—are documented. Her life before Henry, much of it spent as a lady-in-waiting in the courts of some of the most influential women in Europe—can only be speculatively reconstructed. Her activities as Henry’s queen, including her support of the cause of reform, has only recently been carefully pieced together. Very little exists in Anne’s own words. Seventeen of Henry’s love letters to her survive, but only two letters that may be from Anne to Henry remain, and one is almost certainly inauthentic. Beyond these and some inscriptions in prayer books, most of our information about Anne’s personality and behavior is secondhand: Cavendish’s memoirs of Cardinal Wolsey, which credits Anne with Wolsey’s downfall; the far from unbiased reports of Eustace Chapuys and other foreign ambassadors; Constable Kingston’s descriptions of her behavior in the Tower; and various “eyewitness” accounts of what she said and did at her trial and her execution. Yet despite the absence of Anne’s own voice among the relics of the period, she is undoubtedly the most famous of Henry’s wives. She has been the focus of numerous biographies, movies and plays, a much-watched television series, and an ever-growing mountain of historical fiction. Internet sites are devoted to her, and she appears as a subject of feminist art. Throughout these different genres, and depending on whether or not the account is friendly or antagonistic, radically different pictures of Anne emerge. For supporters of Katherine of Aragon, Henry’s first wife, she was an ambitious schemer. For Catholic propagandists like Nicholas Sander, she was a six-fingered, jaundiced erotomaniac, who slept with butlers, chaplains, and half of the French court. For Elizabethan Lutherans, she was the unsung heroine of the Protestant Reformation. For the Romantics, particularly in painting, she was the hapless victim of a king’s tyranny. In postwar movies and on stage and television, Anne has been portrayed as both a spirited rebel and a cold manipulator. Who is the “real” Anne? While some accounts can be definitively disputed or confirmed, many more remain contested territory. Thus, any responsible bibliography must take account, as this one tries to, of radically competing perspectives on the elusive, compelling Anne Boleyn.
Queer Intercultural Communication
Authors: Eguchi Shinsuke
Published: August 2019

Intercultural communication, originating in the United States, has extensively focused on differences of communication styles, processes, and problems between sociocultural groups for a long time. This course of study reproduces and reconstitutes a nationalistic binary paradigm of US Americans versus others. It generalizes cultural differences of communication. The assumption of styles in the United States re-centers and re-secures white, cismale, heterosexual, and affluent. At the same time, the conception and operation of others are generally non-US American, cismale, heterosexual, and affluent. In so doing, the field of intercultural communication tends to ignore, erase, and/or marginalize differences such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, and the body. US domestic racial minorities such as African Americans, Arab and Middle Eastern Americans, Asian Pacific Islander Americans, Latinx Americans, and Native Americans are often overlooked, for example. In order to counter this erasure, intersecting genealogies of queer of color critique, global queer studies, transgender studies, and disability studies largely influence the current state of queer intercultural communication.
Irish Life Writing
Authors: Leech Muireann
Published: August 2019

Although the term life writing could encompass autobiographies, biographies, hagiographies, memoirs, diaries, journals, letters, travelogues, testimonies, and personal essays, Irish writers, especially in the modern era, tend to channel their energies into forms of formal self-examination such as autobiographies and memoirs. It is difficult to assert with confidence when Irish life writing begins: it could be traced back to ancient Irish storytellers’ (seanachaí) insertion of the self into oral narratives. Life writing could be traced back to Saint Patrick’s Confessio from the 5th century, beginning a rich vein of spiritual and religious life writing in Ireland. However, a recognizable nationalist life-writing tradition predominated in the 19th century, with writers attempting to create a story of new nation. Life writing flourished during the early 20th century, reflecting global trends, but also engaging in cultural nationalist debates in Ireland. Autobiography and memoir were key genres for the generation that inaugurated and sustained the Irish Revival, many of whom made an art of the multivolume autobiography. Life writing during these years tended to follow the tradition of activist nationalist exploration, or at least of engaging with and perhaps complicating the equating of the self with the nation, insisting on a link between psychogenesis and sociogenesis. This tendency to see Irish writing through the prism of the nation can overshadow other, just as important definitions, such as class and perceived notions of taste; those who diverged from this established tradition, and those whose overarching interest was simply not inspired by the nation, tended to be excluded from the canon. The incredible upsurge in Irish autobiographical writing since the 1990s is often read as an iteration of the intense public scrutiny of the past that occurred in Ireland. Irish writing, of course, is not bound to the island itself; diasporic voices are integral to Irish literature in general and Irish life writing in particular. Life writing abounds with generic indeterminacy, particularly in Ireland, where the Autobiographical Novel after James Joyce remains in rude good health. Broadly speaking, so much of the important Irish fiction of modern times has been to some degree autobiographical and those works often explore the nature of Irish life writing in a way that critical studies do not. The commingling of fiction and life writing is especially pertinent to the recent resurgence of life writing and its importance in a literary and social context.
Chicano Literature
Authors: Castillo Rafael C.
Published: August 2019

Chicano literature began as a critical and creative response to discrimination and prejudice that affected Mexicans who immigrated into the United States after the 1900s, as well as those naturalized citizens who became Mexican Americans with roots in the American conquest of the Southwest after 1848. The term “Mexicano” was initially pronounced “Meshicano” during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Centuries later, the “sh” sound became a harder tonal “ch,” spelling it with an “x” and linguistically evolving into a hard “ch” sound. Chicano then became a shortcut term for Mexicano as working-class youth adopted it. Thus, Chicano is pronounced “Xicano,” with a “ch” sound for the “x.” Many Mexican Americans who were naturalized Americans after the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo used the term “Chicano” derisively to identify working-class Mexicans not fully accepted by their Mexican compatriots because they were mestizo, they lacked education, and they spoke a mixture of English and Spanish, forming clever neologisms. The term “Chicano” itself was also embraced by a growing base of Chicanos, who rejected Latin American, Mexican American, Hispanic, and even Latino (“I don’t speak Latin, therefore I am not Latino”) during the nascent Chicano movement, along with the farmworker movement. Although scholars tend to trace the embryonic origins of Chicano literature to writings that derive from the explorers Cabeza de Vaca and Hernan Cortés, these writers did not use the term “Chicano” in their references, nor did they call themselves “Chicanos.” What is striking, however, is that the tales, legends, and myths passed down orally manifested themselves in the folktales, legends, and stories of la llorona (the Weeping Woman)—a version of La Malinche, the betrayer of the Aztec Empire and paramour of Cortés, known as Dona Marina. Historically, these stories of conflict and conquest, of love and rejection, of heroes and traitors, of tragedy and comedy, become enmeshed in the social, geographical, and environmental landscape that eventually became Chicano literature. Chicano literature is therefore written by a group of people who identify with the political, cultural, and social Chicano movement, and who use expository writing, autobiography, fiction, poetry, drama, and film to document the history of Chicano consciousness in the United States. From this early Chicano movement, and the long marches of the United Farm Workers, emerged a literature giving voice to the disenfranchised, the working-class, the migrant worker, and the field hand, both male and female alike, as they fought for the right to tell their story in the growing body of American literature, just as the once rejected Walt Whitman fought to have his musings and writings accepted in the years following the American Civil War. The collective stories of sin and redemption, of territories lost and gained, of legends and myths ingrained in the greater Southwest are reflections of hundreds of years of human toil as Chicano literature evolved into another chapter of American literature.
Mondor’s disease after extensive training with Nordic walking
Authors: Hemsing Anette Lodvir , Reikvam Håkon
Published: August 2019

We here present a case of a 59-year-old man with Mondor’s disease, thrombophlebitis of the superficial veins of the anterior chest wall. This occurred after the patient had initiated extensive training with walking poles, Nordic walking, probably predisposing to the thrombosis. Underlying disease was ruled out, and the treatment was symptomatic. Physicians should be aware of this condition in patients performing extensive upper body workout.
Prognostic value of comorbidity indices and lung diseases in early rheumatoid arthritis: a UK population-based study
Authors: Nikiphorou Elena , de Lusignan Simon , Mallen Christian , Roberts Jacqueline , Khavandi Kaivan , Bedarida Gabriella , Buckley Christopher D , Galloway James , Raza Karim
Published: August 2019

Objectives

We assessed comorbidity burden in people with RA at diagnosis and early disease (3 years) and its association with early mortality and joint destruction. The association between lung disease and mortality in RA is not well studied; we also explored this relationship.

Methods

From a contemporary UK-based population (n = 1, 475 762) we identified a cohort with incident RA (n = 6591). The prevalence of comorbidities at diagnosis of RA and at 3 years was compared with age- and gender-matched controls (n = 6591). In individuals with RA we assessed the prognostic value of the Charlson Comorbidity Index and Rheumatic Disease Comorbidity Index calculated at diagnosis for all-cause mortality and joint destruction (with joint surgery as a surrogate marker). We separately evaluated the association between individual lung diseases [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and interstitial lung disease] and mortality.

Results

Respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, previous fracture and depression were more common (P < 0.05) in patients with RA at diagnosis than controls. Comorbidity (assessed using RDCI) was associated with all-cause mortality in RA [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.26, 95% CI 1.00–1.60]. There was no association with joint destruction. COPD, but not asthma, was associated with mortality (COPD HR 2.84, 95% CI 1.13–7.12).

Conclusion

There is an excess burden of comorbidity at diagnosis of RA including COPD, asthma and interstitial lung disease. COPD is a major predictor of early mortality in early RA. Early assessment of comorbidity including lung disease should form part of the routine management of RA patients.
Measurement properties of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for women with genitourinary syndrome of menopause: a systematic review
Authors: Gabes Michaela , Knüttel Helge , Stute Petra , Apfelbacher Christian J.
Published: August 2019

Objective:

Genitourinary syndrome of menopause affects up to 50% of postmenopausal women and has negative impacts on the women's quality of life. In this systematic review, we aimed to identify and assess the measurement properties of all existing patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) specific for genitourinary symptoms that were developed and/or validated for measuring patient-reported outcomes in postmenopausal women.

Methods:

Studies which evaluated, described, or compared measurement properties of PROMs were considered as eligible. We performed a systematic literature search in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) Risk of Bias checklist. Furthermore, predefined quality criteria for good measurement properties were applied and the quality of the evidence was graded.

Results:

Nine articles reporting on four PROMs were included. Two instruments, the Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire and the Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging Questionnaire, can be further recommended for use. Both showed moderate to high quality of evidence for sufficient structural validity, internal consistency, and construct validity. The two other instruments, urogenital atrophy quality of life (UGAQoL) and the Urogenital Symptom Scale, cannot be recommended for use, whereby the UGAQoL still has the opportunity to be recommended if the authors gave access to the instrument and further validation studies were conducted.

Conclusions:

Both Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire and Day-to-Day Impact of Vaginal Aging Questionnaire can be recommended for use and results obtained with these two instruments can be seen as trustworthy. Future validation studies should focus on those two instruments.
Performance Times for the King-Devick Test in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Gubanich Paul J. , Gupta Resmi , Slattery Eric , Logan Kelsey
Published: August 2019

Objective:

To establish the King-Devick test (KD) performance values for children and adolescents.

Design:

Prospective cohort.

Setting:

Pediatric sports medicine clinics.

Participants:

Five hundred seven athletes presenting to a pediatric sports medicine clinic for non–concussion-related evaluations.

Independent Variables:

Age, sex, and risk factors for abnormal concussion recovery.

Main Outcome Measures:

The King-Devick test time.

Results:

Four hundred eighty-three participants were included in the final analysis, which included 60.5% girls (n = 292) and 39.5% boys (n = 191). The KD test performance varied by age with a steady decrease in test time yearly from 8 years through 14 years of age, where some plateauing occurred. Baseline scores changed approximately 31 seconds over ages 8 to 18. Analysis of variance results revealed a strong effect of age on overall mean KD time (P< 0.001). The KD test performance was not associated with sex or other studied concussion risk factors or comorbid conditions.

Conclusions:

The KD test performance was reported in a cohort of youth aged 8 to 18 years, allowing for comparison of performance in individuals who may not have a baseline assessment. If baseline testing is desired, at least yearly intervals seems to be appropriate through childhood and early adolescence.
Current Evidence for Acute Pain Management of Musculoskeletal Injuries and Postoperative Pain in Pediatric and Adolescent Athletes
Authors: Liu Diana V. , Lin Yuan-Chi
Published: August 2019

Objective:

Sports-related injuries in young athletes are increasingly prevalent with an estimated 2.6 million children and adolescents sustaining a sports-related injury annually. Acute sports-related injuries and surgical correction of sports-related injuries cause physical pain and psychological burdens on pediatric athletes and their families. This article aims to evaluate current acute pain management options in pediatric athletes and acute pain management strategies for postoperative pain after sports-related injuries. This article will also elucidate which areas of pain management for pediatric athletes are lacking evidence and help direct future clinical trials.

Data Sources:

We conducted a literature search through PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials to provide an extensive review of initial and postoperative pain management strategies for pediatric sports-related musculoskeletal injuries.

Main Results:

The current knowledge of acute pain management for initial sports-related injuries, postoperative pain management for orthopedic surgeries, as well as complementary and alternative medical therapies in pediatric sports-related injuries is presented. Studies evaluating conservative management, enteral and nonenteral medications, regional anesthesia, and complementary medical therapies are included.

Conclusions:

Adequate pain management is important for sports injuries in children and adolescents for emotional as well as physical healing, but a balance must be achieved to provide acceptable pain relief while minimizing opioid use and side effects from analgesic medications. More studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of nonopioid analgesic medications and complementary therapies in pediatric patients with acute sports-related injuries.
Clinical and Biomechanical Evaluation of the Softball Pitcher: A Review of Current Concepts and Clinical Commentary
Authors: Fry Karl E. , Wittman Kelcie , Gerke Dale , Parr Ashley
Published: August 2019

Background:

The windmill softball pitch (WSP) is a vastly understudied human motion relative to its counterpart the overhand baseball pitch (OBP). A large body of research has been conducted to understand the kinematics and kinetics of the OBP. Better understanding of the kinematics and kinetics of the WSP may help provide better pitch volume guidelines, physical performance preparation, and injury prevention programs.

Evidence Acquisition:

A comprehensive review of the literature was performed to gain a full understanding of all currently available biomechanical and clinical evidence surrounding the WSP and related softball injuries.

Study Design:

Clinical Review.

Level of Evidence:

Level 5.

Results:

The softball pitch is a highly complex series of coordinated movements, in which the force generated by the large muscles of the lower extremity and trunk during the wind-up and stride phases are transferred to the ball through the shoulder and arm. Biomechanical evidence has demonstrated relatively equivocal distraction forces at the shoulder for both the softball pitch and baseball pitch.

Conclusions:

Altered pitching biomechanics, high pitch velocity, elevated pitch counts, decreased rest between outings, and increased pitcher fatigue may increase tissue stress on the upper extremity of a softball pitcher. There is convincing evidence that each of these variables have a compounding effect on injury risk for a softball pitcher. Therefore, coaches and clinicians need more research to promote upper extremity health in the softball pitcher at all levels of competition including pitch volume guidelines and injury prevention strategies.
Update on anterior skull base reconstruction
Authors: Ein Liliana , Sargi Zoukaa , Nicolli Elizabeth A.
Published: August 2019

Purpose of review

Anterior skull base reconstruction has rapidly evolved over the past few years as endoscopic approaches to resect tumors in this region have become more established. The present review evaluates the robust amount of new literature on this topic over the past year with particular attention to minimally invasive methods for reconstruction.

Recent findings

Although vascularized local flaps remain the mainstay reconstructive choice when available for the anterior skull base, innovative techniques for all types of reconstruction, ranging from free grafts to free flaps continue to emerge.

Because of the unique challenges and wide variety of options available to repair the anterior skull base with the goal to prevent or treat cerebrospinal fluid leaks, surgical expertise and experience in this field is of utmost importance.
Are 30-Day Outcomes Enough? Late Infectious Readmissions following Prosthetic-Based Breast Reconstruction
Authors: Collier Willem , Scheefer Van Boerum Melody , Kim Jaewhan , Kwok Alvin C.
Published: August 2019

Background:

Surgical-site infection is a major concern in prosthetic-based breast reconstruction. Thirty-day postoperative readmission rates are a common quality metric, but little is known about readmission rates for later infections.

Methods:

Using the 2013 to 2014 Nationwide Readmissions Database, the authors identified breast cancer patients undergoing breast reconstruction with implants and tissue expanders who had an infectious readmission. The authors used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to identify predictors of infectious readmission and explantation within the early (0 to 30 days) and late (31 to 90 days) postoperative periods.

Results:

In the weighted sample, the authors identified 18,338 patients undergoing prosthetic-based breast reconstruction. The overall infectious readmission rate was 4.1 percent (n = 759): 49.3 percent occurred early and 50.7 percent occurred late. Of the infectious readmissions, 39.5 percent required explantation, 55.1 percent of which occurred during a late infectious readmission. Seventy-five percent of these infectious readmissions and explantations occurred within 49 days of initial surgery. Median annual household income less than $40,000 (p = 0.035), diabetes (p = 0.038), and obesity (p = 0.004) were independent predictors of infectious readmission. Diabetes (p = 0.049) and hypertension (p = 0.011) were independent predictors of early readmission. Median annual household income less than $40,000 (p = 0.049), obesity (p = 0.006), and increasing length of stay during the index procedure (p = 0.028) were independent predictors of late readmission. No statistically significant independent predictors for explantation were identified.

Conclusions:

Traditional 30-day readmission rates are not an adequate quality metric for breast reconstruction given the number of late postoperative readmissions, many of which lead to explantation. Early and late infectious readmissions have different predictors. Interventions targeting these predictors may decrease the number of readmissions, thus reducing cost and improving quality.

CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:

Risk, III.
Correction of Sagittal Synostosis Using Three-Dimensional Planning and Maltese Cross Geometry
Authors: Veeramani Anamika , Singh Anusha , DiLuna Michael L. , Steinbacher Derek M.
Published: August 2019

There are several approaches to correct sagittal synostosis. Regardless of technique, the goals are to (1) release the fused suture and (2) impart a normocephalic head shape with resultant functional and aesthetic benefits. This article and video detail the authors’ preferred technique for the treatment of sagittal synostosis. This novel method involves three-dimensional planning and an open approach to focus on immediate correction of the anteroposterior, mediolateral, and vertex dimensions, using vault remodeling, pedicled osseous (“Maltese”) crosses, and corset pericranial flaps.
Social Media: Is the Message Reaching the Plastic Surgery Audience?
Authors: Chen Austin D. , Ruan Qing Zhao , Bucknor Alexandra , Chattha Anmol S. , Bletsis Patrick P. , Furnas Heather J. , Lee Bernard T. , Lin Samuel J.
Published: August 2019

Background:

The aim of this study was to assess readability of articles shared on Twitter and analyze differences between them to determine whether messages and written posts are at reading levels comprehended by the general public.

Methods:

Top-rated #PlasticSurgery tweets (per Twitter algorithm) in January of 2017 were reviewed retrospectively. Text from tweeted links to full, open-access, and society/institutional patient information articles were extracted. Readability was analyzed using the following established tests: Coleman-Liau, Flesch-Kincaid, FORCAST Readability Formula, Fry Graph, Gunning Fog Index, New Dale-Chall Formula, New Fog Count, Raygor Readability Estimate, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Readability Formula. Ease-of-reading was analyzed using the Flesch Reading Ease Index.

Results:

Of 234 unique articles, there were 101 full journal (43 percent), 65 open-access journal (28 percent), and 68 patient information (29 percent) articles. When compared using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Readability Formula, full and open-access journal articles attained similar mean reading levels of 17.7 and 17.5, respectively (p = 0.475). In contrast, patient information articles had a significantly lower mean readability level of 13.9 (p < 0.001). Plastic surgeons posted 128 articles (55 percent) and non–plastic surgeon individuals posted 106 articles (45 percent). Mean readability levels between the two were 16.2 and 16.9, respectively (p < 0.001). All tweeted articles were above the sixth-grade recommended reading level.

Conclusions::

Readability of #PlasticSurgery articles may not be appropriate for many American adults. Consideration should be given to improving readability of articles targeted toward the general public to optimize delivery of social media messages.
Conditioned Contextual Freezing is A Neurobehavioral Biomarker of Axonal Injury Indicated by Reduced Fractional Anisotropy in A Mouse Model of Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: Weiss Craig , Lendacki Frances R. , Rigby Paul H. , Wyrwicz Alice M. , Disterhoft John F. , Spiess Joachim
Published: August 2019

Mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an important public health problem generated by closed head injury. This study is focused on the impact of blast-induced mild TBI on auditory trace and delay fear conditioning, models of declarative and non-declarative memory, respectively, and the correlation of conditioned freezing and fractional anisotropy, a measure of axonal state. A supersonic helium pressure wave was generated by a shock tube to blast 8-week-old male mice on Day 1 for 1.4 msec with an incident pressure of 16 psi, corresponding to a reflected pressure of 56.9 psi at the mouse head. On Day 3, the mice were subjected to auditory trace- or delay-fear conditioning. On Day 4, contextual freezing in the trained context, and precue and cued freezing in a novel context were determined. After cardiac perfusion on Day 5, ex vivo images were obtained with diffusion tensor imaging at 14.1 Tesla. We observed that delay fear conditioning prevented or reversed the decrease in fractional anisotropy in both the medial and lateral corpus callosum suggesting axonal stabilization of potentially behavioral therapeutic significance. Moderately strong and statistically significant Pearson correlations were found between fractional anisotropy and contextual freezing in the medial and lateral corpus callosum of blasted and sham-blasted delay- or trace-fear conditioned mice. Thus, contextual freezing is a neurobehavioral biomarker for axonal injury in mild TBI and is a reliable and high-throughput behavioral assay for the evaluation of potential therapeutics to treat mild TBI.
John Ashworth Nelder. 8 October 1924—7 August 2010
Authors: Senn Stephen
Published: August 2019

John Nelder was a statistician who made important contributions to applied statistical theory, of which three are notable: his work on general balance; his influential collaboration with Robert Wedderburn and later Peter McCullagh on the development of generalized linear models (GLMs); and his post-retirement collaboration with Youngjo Lee on hierarchical generalized linear models (HGLMs). John started his career at the National Vegetable Research Station in Wellesbourne in 1950, and was subsequently head of statistics at Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden, from 1968 to his retirement in 1984, during which time he regularly gave a course of lectures on statistical computing at Imperial College London. He wrote several highly influential books and received many honours, including the Guy Medals in Silver and in Gold of the Royal Statistical Society (in 1977 and 2005) and an honorary doctorate from the Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, in 1981. His work on GLMs completely changed the world of statistical modelling, his theory of general balance was years ahead of its time and it is perhaps too early to judge his work on HGLMs. The simplex algorithm for function optimization developed with Roger Mead has proved extremely popular. John was an excellent pianist with a wide range of musical interests.
Axon death signalling in Wallerian degeneration among species and in disease
Authors: Llobet Rosell Arnau , Neukomm Lukas J.
Published: August 2019

Axon loss is a shared feature of nervous systems being challenged in neurological disease, by chemotherapy or mechanical force. Axons take up the vast majority of the neuronal volume, thus numerous axonal intrinsic and glial extrinsic support mechanisms have evolved to promote lifelong axonal survival. Impaired support leads to axon degeneration, yet underlying intrinsic signalling cascades actively promoting the disassembly of axons remain poorly understood in any context, making the development to attenuate axon degeneration challenging. Wallerian degeneration serves as a simple model to study how axons undergo injury-induced axon degeneration (axon death). Severed axons actively execute their own destruction through an evolutionarily conserved axon death signalling cascade. This pathway is also activated in the absence of injury in diseased and challenged nervous systems. Gaining insights into mechanisms underlying axon death signalling could therefore help to define targets to block axon loss. Herein, we summarize features of axon death at the molecular and subcellular level. Recently identified and characterized mediators of axon death signalling are comprehensively discussed in detail, and commonalities and differences across species highlighted. We conclude with a summary of engaged axon death signalling in humans and animal models of neurological conditions. Thus, gaining mechanistic insights into axon death signalling broadens our understanding beyond a simple injury model. It harbours the potential to define targets for therapeutic intervention in a broad range of human axonopathies.
A general fluorescent light-up probe for staining and quantifying protein
Authors: Zou Jiawei , Chen Gangyi , Du Feng , Yuan Yi , Huang Xin , Dong Juan , Xie Kexin , Cui Xin , Tang Zhuo
Published: August 2019

Proteins are the primary functional agents in all cellular processes, facilitating various functions such as enzymes and structure-forming or signal-transducing molecules. In this work, we report a fluorescent dye, PyMDI-Zn, which could specifically bind with proteins and provide a red-shifted fluorescent emission. The visual analysis of protein in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis could be realized in 5 min by using PyMDI-Zn as a light-up dye. Based on its cell penetration and low toxicity, PyMDI-Zn could also be applied to locate protein-rich regions and organelles in live cell imaging. Moreover, the direct protein quantitation can be realized based on PyMDI-Zn, providing a method of screening for food adulteration by nitrogen-rich compounds.