bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social Determinants of Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Guidelines in Iran: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Ahmadi Sina , Jorjoran Shushtari Zahra , Shirazikhah Marzieh , Biglarian Akbar , Irandoost Seyed Fahim , Paykani Toktam , Almasi Ali , Rajabi-Gilan Nader , Mehedi Nafiul , Salimi Yahya
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Adherence to COVID-19 preventative guidelines may be influenced by a variety of factors at the individual, societal, and institutional levels. The current study sought to investigate the social factors of adherence to those preventive measures from the perspective of health professionals.

Methods

In October 2020, we performed qualitative research in Tehran, Iran, using the directed content analysis method. For the preparation of our interview guide and data analysis, we employed the WHO conceptual framework of socioeconomic determinants of health. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 health professionals and policymakers who were chosen using a purposive sampling approach. MAXQDA-18 software was used to analyze the data. The Goba and Lincoln criteria were used to assess the quality of the results.

Results

There are 23 subcategories and 9 categories, which include socio-economic and political context (unstable macroeconomic environment, poor management of the pandemic, media and knowledge transfer), cultural and social values (fatalism, cultural norms, value conflicts, social customs), socio-economic positions (livelihood conditions), social capital (social cohesion, low trust), living conditions (housing conditions), occupational conditions (precarious employment), individual characteristics (demographic characteristics, personality traits, COVID-19 knowledge, and attitude), psycho-social factors (normalization of the disease, social pressure, and stigma), and health system leadership (health system problems, not taking evidence-based decisions, non-comprehensive preventive guidelines, non-operational guidelines, inadequate executive committee) were obtained.

Conclusion

To limit the new COVID-19 transmission, people must be encouraged to follow COVID-19 prevention instructions. Improving adherence to COVID-19 preventive guidelines necessitates dealing with the complexities of responding to social determinants of those guidelines. Increasing public health literacy and knowledge of COVID-19, informing people about the consequences of social interactions and cultural customs in the spread of COVID-19, strengthening regulatory lockdown laws, improving guarantees for adhering to preventive guidelines, providing easy access to preventive supplies, and strengthening financial support for households with precarious employment are all important.
Association Analysis Between Different Diabetic Family History and Gender with Diagnosed Age of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study in Tianjin, China
Authors: Hao Zhaohu , Huang Xiao , Liu Xiaohui , He Feng , Shao Hailin
Published: March 2022

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) was previously considered a common disease in middle-aged and older people, but the age of diagnosis of T2DM is advancing every year, and the trend toward a younger age is obvious. Early-onset T2DM is a clinical syndrome caused by genetic and environmental factors. This study aimed to investigate the association between diabetic family history and gender with the diagnosed age of T2DM.

Methods

The newly diagnosed T2DM patients admitted to the diabetes identification center of Tianjin 4th Central Hospital (TJ4thch) from October 2017 to June 2020 were registered. According to whether the diagnosis age is over 40 years old, patients were divided into 2 groups (early-onset T2DM group and late-onset T2DM group). In the study, the T2DM family history was divided into 5 types: ( a) Father T2DM: father with T2DM, but not the mother; ( b) Mother T2DM: mother with T2DM, but not the father; ( c) Both parents with T2DM; ( d) Another relative(s) (other than the parents) with a history of T2DM; and ( e) Without a family history of T2DM. The diagnosed age with different genders and diabetic family history was compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the association factors of early-onset T2DM.

Results

A total of 3725 patients completed the survey. There were 589 patients (15.8%) with early-onset T2DM, and 2469 patients (66.3%) had a diabetic family history. The T2DM-diagnosed age in males was lower than in females (51.7 ± 11.2 vs 54.0 ± 10.2, P = .000). The result was also reflected in the different T2DM family histories (with Both parents T2DM, 46.7 ± 11.1 vs 48.5 ± 10.3, P = .271; with Father T2DM, 46.8 ± 10.8 vs 49.8 ± 11.3, P = .005; with Mother T2DM, 50.4 ± 10.6 vs 52.3 ± 10.2, P = .019; with Other T2DM family history, 54.0 ± 10.8 vs 55.7 ± 9.5, P = .008; with no T2DM family history, 53.0 ± 11.0 vs 55.9 ± 9.3, P = .000). The order of the T2DM-diagnosed age in the different groups was Both parents T2DM (47.5 ± 11.0) and Father T2DM (47.9 ± 11.1) family history < that with Mother T2DM family history (51.1 ± 10.5) < that with Other T2DM family history (54.7 ± 10.3) and no T2DM family history (54.1 ± 10.5). Logistic regression analysis indicated that gender (OR, 1.733; P = .000), Father T2DM history (OR, 2.738; P = .000), Mother T2DM history (OR, 1.536; P = .001), Both parents T2DM (OR, 2.866; P = .000) and body mass index (OR, 1.108, P = .000) were correlated with early-onset T2DM.

Conclusion

Patients with early-onset T2DM tend to have a more obvious T2DM family history in China. This survey shows that when a parent has a T2DM family history, especially the father with T2DM, male patients are diagnosed with T2DM earlier. We need more intensive screening for diabetes in children with a family history of diabetes, especially in male children.
Exclusive Breastfeeding Intentions Among Adolescents In Urban Communities In Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Odukoya Oluwaponmile A. , Titiloye Musibau A. , Arulogun Oyedunni S.
Published: March 2022

Purpose: During adolescence, a female child makes several decisions, and the choice to breastfeed in the near future is conceivably shaped. But in sub-Saharan Africa where teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood is on the rise, there is a dearth of information on the intention of adolescents to exclusively breastfeed (EBF) in community settings. Therefore, this study assessed exclusive breastfeeding intentions, knowledge and attitude of adolescents in urban communities in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive community-based cross-sectional study was carried out, selecting 271 respondents. Data were analysed with the aid of IBM SPSS version 21 at P ≤ .05. Results: Mean age of adolescents was 17.5 ± 1.3 years, and 96.3% would breastfeed their children later in future. However, only 37.6%, 22.5% and 50.2% had the intention to exclusively breastfeed, good knowledge score and positive attitude, respectively. There were significant relationships between respondents’ age, educational attainment, parents’ educational attainment, level of knowledge, attitude and intention. The coefficient of knowledge and attitude were significant predictors of good intention to practise EBF. Major predictors of good intention were good knowledge [OR = 36.5; 95% CI (9.2, 145.2)] and positive attitude toward EBF [OR = 9.7; 95% CI (3.6, 25.9)]. Conclusions: The EBF intention was influenced by multiple factors and should be considered in determining the effectiveness of interventions targeting this practice. Therefore, coherent EBF education interventions that commence from adolescence to promote the practice by adulthood are urgently needed to improve knowledge, attitude and intention about EBF rate and confer the cancer-risk reducing benefits.
Clinical profile and predictors of therapeutic outcome with azithromycin in pediatric scrub typhus: A study from Eastern India
Authors: Ghosh Arindam , Dey Pranab Kumar , Hemram Sunil Kumar , Mukherjee Meghna , Nair Anupama
Published: March 2022

In this prospective study, children from 1-month to 12-years, admitted with positive IgM ELISA testing for scrub typhus, were enrolled over 1-year and administered an empirical single dose of azithromycin (10 mg/kg). All 189 (median age 4.84-years) children had fever with median duration of 8 days at admission. Shortness of breath, altered sensorium, headache, lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, pallor, oedema and hypotension were the most prominent symptoms/signs. About 46% of children developed complications, among them hepatic, neurological and cardiovascular were most common. Our study showed a remarkable response to azithromycin, with mean defervescence of 32 h and no mortality. The presence of shortness of breath, headache, altered sensorium, hepatosplenomegaly, meningeal signs, severe anemia, leucocytosis, hyponatremia along with/without any of above mentioned three systemic complications were independent predictors for delayed treatment response by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Hepatic, neurological and cardiovascular complications are an emerging trend. Empiric azithromycin based on clinical suspicion of scrub typhus can be lifesaving.
A Giant Schwannoma Extending from Medial Portion of Middle Cranial Fossa to Parapharyngeal Space and Deep Parotid Space
Authors: Jiang Jing-Yi , Leu Yi-Shing , Wang Ying-Piao , Chan Yun-Kai , Chen Tung-Ying
Published: March 2022

Trigeminal schwannomas are rare tumours comprising 0.2% of all intracranial tumours and 0.5% of all head and neck tumours. Patients with trigeminal schwannomas presented with facial hypoesthesia and pain. We presented a case with left bulging oropharynx. The CT scan showed a 3.8x2.6x4.9cm left parapharyngeal tumour compressed to the oropharynx and middle cranial fossa. We performed 3 ways in two times of operation to excise the whole tumour. We chose the transoral approach for parapharyngeal space, trans-parotid approach for deep parotid part and the endoscopic endonasal trans-pterygoid approach and trans-maxillary with Canine fossa trephination for intracranial lesions. The pathology showed schwannoma. A huge schwannoma extended from intracranial to several spaces is difficult to resect just by one approach. We should separate the tumour to several parts by clinical image before the operation and design a plan to remove the whole tumour in different approach. The different space of tumour involvement had several ways to access. We needed to choose the less harm but with better surgical field.
Metastasis of parotid adenocarcinoma to the external auditory canal
Authors: Lee Dong Hoon , Kim Jo Heon , Chung Ik-Joo , Lim Sang Chul
Published: March 2022

Metastatic carcinoma of the external auditory canal (EAC) is extremely rare. Herein, we report the first case of a patient with metastasis of parotid adenocarcinoma to the EAC. Clinicians should include it in the differential diagnosis of tumors of the EAC. In patients with parotid carcinoma, a physical examination of the entire head and neck, including the EAC, should be performed before surgery.
Setting the Stage for Success: How Participation Diversity Can Help Teams Leverage Racioethnic Diversity
Authors: Avery Derek R. , Rhue Lauren A. , McKay Patrick F.
Published: March 2022

Though we know racioethnic diversity can impact team functioning, much remains unclear about when and how it affects performance. Extending dyadic theory on interracial interactions, we develop and test predictions about how participation diversity (i.e., the distribution of team member temporal involvement in task functions) influences the racioethnic diversity–performance relationship. We theorize that racioethnic diversity is motivational, prompting self-enhancement goals that are best achieved via cooperation, but are impeded by anxiety that often accompanies racioethnic dissimilarity. Heightened participation diversity provides structure (by clarifying behavioral scripts) that should reduce interracial anxiety, thereby resulting in positive effects of racioethnic diversity on performance through cooperation. Such performance benefits of racioethnic diversity are lower in likelihood in less structured interracial, work-related encounters. Results from a field study and two archival datasets indicated that when there are more clearly differentiated temporal roles, greater racioethnic diversity corresponded with higher performance. Cooperation helped to account for this relationship, as greater differentiation facilitated the positive effect of racioethnic diversity on cooperation, thereby enhancing team performance. This relationship is significantly smaller or nonsignificant when participation diversity is lower. Collectively, our theory and results help to reconcile prior inconsistent effects of racioethnic diversity on team performance.
Assessing peer influence and susceptibility to peer influence using individual and dyadic moderators in a social network context: The case of adolescent alcohol misuse
Authors: DeLay Dawn , Burk William J. , Laursen Brett
Published: March 2022

Higher accepted friends are known to influence the alcohol misuse of lower accepted friends, but not the reverse. The present study was designed to address the origins of this influence: Are higher accepted friends particularly influential or are lower accepted friends particularly susceptible to influence? To address this question, we introduce an innovative application of longitudinal social network techniques (RSIENA) designed to distinguish being influential from being susceptible to influence. The results revealed that influence was a product of heightened susceptibility among low accepted adolescents, rather than heightened influence among high accepted adolescents. The findings are consistent with claims that low accepted youth fear the consequences of nonconformity and adjust their behavior to more closely resemble their affiliates.
Freedom of speech in contemporary Arab societies from a gender perspective
Authors: Grami Amel
Published: March 2022

Women and girls in contemporary Arab societies suffer from various and intersecting forms of discrimination that deny them their enjoyment of fundamental human rights. The right to freedom of expression is one of the essential areas that may expose this gender-based discrimination and patriarchal attitudes. In many contexts, freedom of expression has enabled women to speak out and organize in civil, political, social, economic and cultural spheres and contexts; participate in their own emancipation and improve their status. Women’s exercise of freedom of expression has also provided them with new rights such as the right to vote, the right to control their own bodies, the right to join unions and the right to equality before the law and to participate in decision-making and hold governments to account. In the last decade, we have witnessed different attacks on women’s rights particularly their right to the freedom of expression, as scholars, journalists, social media users, human rights defenders, politicians and activists. The aim of this article is to explore emerging challenges and to highlight the struggle of Arab women for freedom of expression.
In‐office Bone‐Anchored Hearing Implants via Minimally Invasive Punch Technique in a Veteran Population
Authors: King Jackson , Leon Isabella , Squires Lane
Published: March 2022

Objective

Describe the feasibility and safety of completing bone‐anchored hearing implants via the minimally invasive punch technique in the in‐office setting.

Study Design

This single‐institution case series included 20 patients who underwent in‐office bone‐anchored hearing implant placement under local anesthesia from 2018 to 2021.

Setting

Veterans Affairs Northern California Healthcare System.

Methods

Following completion of the case series, patients were retrospectively surveyed regarding their satisfaction with this approach via a modified SSQ‐8 (Surgical Satisfaction Questionnaire) to fit our purposes.

Results

A total of 23 implants were completed in the in‐office setting on 20 patients. Intra‐ and postoperative complication rates, including skin changes, irritation, infection, and poor wound healing, were similar to or better than currently published complication rates in the literature. In addition, patients reported overwhelmingly positive responses on the SSQ‐8, almost universally stating that they were “very satisfied” with their clinic experience.

Conclusion

This case series suggests that it is feasible and safe to complete this procedure in the clinic under local anesthesia, but further prospective studies are needed to evaluate this in a more generalized population.
Representation of Race and Sex in Sleep Surgery Studies
Authors: Debbaneh Peter , Ramirez Kimberly , Block‐Wheeler Nikolas , Durr Megan
Published: March 2022

Objective

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder with many treatment modalities, including surgical intervention. While OSA is known to be more prevalent in males and Black Americans, the representation of race and sex in sleep surgery studies is unknown. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the race and sex demographics represented in sleep surgery studies relative to known OSA demographics.

Data Sources

PubMed, MEDLINE, and OVID databases.

Review Methods

A systematic review was conducted to identify studies published between 2016 and 2020 that investigated sleep outcomes following nonnasal surgical intervention for OSA in adults. Pooled racial, ethnic, and sex data of the enrolled subjects in selected studies were analyzed.

Results

The 148 included studies comprised 13,078 patients. Of the 137 studies that reported sex, 84.0% of participants were male, exceeding the population prevalence of OSA in males, which is estimated at 66%. Only 13 studies reported racial/ethnic demographic data. Of these, 87.8% of patients were White. Out of 30 studies of primarily American patients, only 4 reported race demographic data, with an average of 82.8% White participants.

Conclusion

There is a racial/ethnic and sex inclusion bias among sleep surgery studies. Future studies should better document the demographics of enrolled participants as well as recruit participants who better represent the demographics of adults with OSA in the general population.
Correlation of regional late woodland triangle projectile point variation and native American ethnic group territories in the central middle Atlantic
Authors: Custer Jay F.
Published: March 2022

The shapes and sizes of 983 Late Woodland triangular projectile points from four indigenous Native American different ethnic groups of the central Middle Atlantic region (Unami Lenapi – Lower Delaware Valley, Munsee Lenape – Upper Delaware Valley, Susquehannock – Lower Susquehanna Valley, Nanticoke – Lower Delmarva Peninsula) and one archaeological complex (Shenks Ferry – Lower Susquehanna Valley) were compared using various univariate statistical analytics, including the difference-of-mean and difference-of proportion tests, to see if there were any statistically significant morphological differences among them. There were none, even though earlier studies of small samples with anecdotal observations and comparisons stated that there were observable differences among the projectile points of the various ethnic groups. This study's findings refute the axiomatic assumption of traditional normative culture approaches that there must be identifiable stylistic variation in projectile points among different ethnic groups. In the case of Late Woodland triangular projectile points in the central Middle Atlantic region, the technological prerequisites of shock hunting with bows and stone-tipped arrows limited inter-ethnic group variation in projectile point forms. However, use of poisons may have affected overall projectile point sizes.
Effect of zinc supplementation on blood glucose level in different age groups of diabetes type 2
Authors: Aslam Mahwish , Bashir Shahid , Zeb Aurang
Published: March 2022

Background: Studies on humans have revealed the beneficial effects of zinc (Zn) supplementation in patients with type-2 diabetes. Aim: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of zinc supplementation on blood glucose level in type-2 diabetic patients and determine the interaction between age and zinc supplementation on type-2 diabetic patients. Methods: A randomized placebo-control trial conducted in Bashir Hospital of Sialkot, Allama Iqbal Memorial Hospital Sialkot and Civil Hospital of Daska, Sialkot. 144 diabetic patients were selected including an expected drop-out rate of 20%. All the participants were randomly divided into Group 1 (Treatment group with intervention given Zn tablets 20 mg/day) and Group 2 (control group with placebo effect). Each group was further divided into 2 age categories Category 1 (30–50 years of age) and Category 2 (51–70 Years of age). Demographic data, Anthropometric measurements, 24-h dietary recall, serum blood glucose analysis, HbA1C, and serum zinc levels were recorded at the beginning (0 day) and end of the study (60 days). Results: Final fasting serum glucose levels were significantly lowered in group 1 with ( p < 0.05) as compared to group 2, but interestingly, results were significant ( p < 0.05) in the older age group (51–70 years) as compared to their younger age counterparts (30–50 years) of group2. A similar trend was also found in the HbA1c, serum Zn levels and BMI of the participants. Conclusion: Results implied the possible phenomenon of better response to Zn supplementation among aged patients as compared to younger counterparts, which may suggest higher Zn demands with advanced age.
Why Is Friday Better than Sunday?
Authors: Da Silva Sergio , Matsushita Raul , Korzenowski Eduarda
Published: March 2022

We present survey evidence that most people prefer Friday to Sunday. Moreover, we pit against one another two explanations for this fact, the joy of anticipation hypothesis and the Weber law. According to the joy of anticipation hypothesis, Friday promises a weekend ahead, and Sunday does not. The Weber law predicts a relative decrease in the perception of interesting new events as the weekend passes, contributing to the impression that time is shortened as Sunday comes. Our findings favour the joy of anticipation hypothesis.

JEL: D91, D15
The determinants of Mobile government services adoption: The moderating effect of perceived government support (PGS)
Authors: Mensah Isaac Kofi , Dadson Gomado Etse , Mwakapesa Deborah Simon , Ukolov Vladimir Fedorovich
Published: March 2022

This study holds the view that the m-government success depends on the adequate intervention and support of government. Given this, the study seeks to investigate the role that government support can play on m-government services acceptance. Particularly the study examines the moderating influence of perceived government support (PGS) on m-government services usage. A structural equation model (SEM) method was deployed with Smart PLS 3.0. Analysis from the data captured using a comprehensive Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, demonstrated that contrary to the initial held view, performance expectancy (PE) did not impact the acceptance behavior of m-government services. Facilitating conditions, security and privacy, trust in m-government and quality of information had a direct positive influence on m-government services adoption. The findings also revealed that PGS had a significant moderating influence on PE, facilitation conditions, and trust towards the adoption of mobile government services. However, perceived government support had no significant moderating effect on security and privacy and information quality on the adoption of m-government services. These results guide researchers and practitioners in respect of the role government support plays in making m-government a success and how government aid should be designed to have the maximum impact on changing the adoption behavior of citizens.
Blood volume estimation in cardiac surgery – A comparative analysis
Authors: Cumpston Philip
Published: March 2022

Introduction

This paper seeks to identify which of three published formulas used for estimating the blood volume of normal human subjects correlates most closely with blood volumes measured in a published study where erythrocyte volume was determined by a method using 51Cr and a nonradioactive dye was used to determine the plasma volume.

Methods

Blood volumes predicted by three published algorithms were compared with blood volume estimates from a study by Retzlaff et al. using the two-tailed Wilcoxon signed rank test and a robust version of the Bland–Altman test.

Results

When applied to a sample of normal subjects selected from Mayo Clinic personnel and patients, the Nadler formula correlated more closely with blood volume measured using a radio nucleotide technique than did the Allen formula or one based on a saline haemodilution technique.

Conclusions

The Nadler formula correlated more closely with blood volume measurements derived from Retzlaff’s study than the other formulas for estimating blood volume in a population with height and weight distribution more consistent with that seen in North America. It should be used in preference to the Allen formula for estimating blood volume in adult patients currently undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. Saline haemodilution techniques used to measure blood volume require validation against more recently developed nuclear medicine techniques using statistical methods other than regression analysis. Until validated, they should be used with caution for estimating blood volume in adult patients currently undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. If a formula using height, weight and sex is used to estimate blood volume in the context of cardiac surgery, then it must be derived using a much more comprehensive sample of the population to which it is applied than has occurred to date. In particular, it should include broader distributions of height, weight and the presence or absence and type of significant valvular disease.
Effects of different exercise methods of calf muscles on the hemodynamics of lower extremity vein
Authors: Li Tianhua , Yang Shuhong , Dou Chenhao , Geng Qian , Lu Qing , Hu Fang , Ding Junqin
Published: March 2022

Objective

To compare the effects of active and passive calf muscle contraction on the hemodynamics of the lower extremity vein.

Methods

30 females were selected by convenient sampling. The hemodynamic indexes of the common femoral vein were measured by Duplex ultrasound during the active ankle pump exercise, active circular exercise, passive ankle pump exercise, passive circular exercise, and massage the calf muscles.

Results

There was no significant difference in the velocity of common femoral vein when the subjects do active ankle pump exercise, active circular exercise, and massage the calf muscles ( p > .05), but the velocity of common femoral vein was faster than that of passive ankle pump exercise and passive circular exercise ( p < .01).

Conclusion

The effects of active ankle exercise and massage on promoting venous blood return of lower extremity are better than that of passive ankle exercise.
Correlation between characteristics of intracranial atherosclerotic plaques and ischemic stroke in high-resolution vascular wall MRI
Authors: Sun Jie , Feng Xu-Ran , Yang Xuan , Feng Ping-Yong , Liu Yu-Bo , Yang Hai-Xiao , Zhang Tian-Zi
Published: March 2022

Background

Intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis is a major cause of ischemic stroke, accounting for 30% of ischemic strokes in Asian populations.

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between the degree of arterial stenosis and enhancement grade of intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), the plaque characteristics in different remodeling patterns, and its potential impact.

Material and Methods

A total of 210 patients diagnosed with ICAD were enrolled in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into the middle cerebral artery (MCA) group (101 cases), posterior cerebral artery (PCA) group (14 cases), basilar artery (BA) group (71 cases), and intracranial segment of vertebral artery (VA) group (90 cases) according to the difference of diseased vessels. Data on presence or absence of ischemic infarction, intracranial vascular position of lesions, plaque characteristics, ICAD enhancement grade, remodeling index, and degree of arterial stenosis were collected for analysis.

Results

The incidence of ischemic infarction in enhancement grade 2 was significantly higher than that in enhancement grade 1 in MCA group ( P = 0.019). Enhancement grade 2 of ICAD was an independent risk factor for the development of ischemic infarction (odds ratio = 4.60; 95% confidence interval: 1.91–11.03; P = 0.001). There was no significant statistical difference in infarct rate between different remodeling modalities ( P>0.05).

Conclusion

Enhancement grade of ICAD is significantly associated with the degree of stenosis and the occurrence of ischemic stroke, which varies in different intracranial vessels. The pattern of vascular remodeling varies among different intracranial vessels, and the pattern of vascular remodeling has a significant impact on plaque characteristics.
Klebsiella pneumoniae invasion syndrome: a case of liver abscess combined with lung abscess, endophthalmitis, and brain abscess
Authors: Zhang Chen-Guang , Wang Yan , Duan Min , Zhang Xiang-Yang , Chen Xu-Yan
Published: March 2022

Klebsiella pneumoniae invasion syndrome (KPIS) is a critical multi-site infection that is usually caused by highly virulent Klebsiella pneumonia. It is relatively common in Asian patients with diabetes and leads to sepsis, which has a high mortality rate. We report the case of a man in his early 40s who presented to the hospital with blurred vision in his left eye of 7 days’ duration and fever of 1 day’s duration. After a complete examination, he was diagnosed with KPIS on the basis of his liver abscessation, lung abscessation, endophthalmitis of the left eye and brain abscessation. After needle puncture and drainage of the left eye and liver abscess and anti-bacterial treatment with meropenem, the patient recovered well. When KPIS is suspected, attention should be paid to the sites of infection and the selection of the most appropriate antibiotics, but the most important aim should be to drain the lesions in a timely manner to improve the patient’s prognosis.
Implantation of a dual-chamber pacemaker in a patient with dextrocardia and sick sinus syndrome: a case report
Authors: Luo Junqian , Zhou Zihao , Chen Kaicong , Lin Junyao , Cai Chaogeng , Zeng Zhihuan
Published: March 2022

Dextrocardia is a congenital abnormal position of the heart in which the main part of the heart is in the right chest, and the long axis of the heart points to the lower right. Cases of a combination of dextrocardia and sick sinus syndrome are rare. A 65-year-old female patient was admitted to hospital with palpitations and dizziness for 1 week. Mirror-image dextrocardia and sick sinus syndrome were diagnosed by an electrocardiogram, echocardiography, Holter monitoring, and X-rays. Finally, we successfully implanted a dual-chamber pacemaker into the patient. The patient had an uneventful recovery and was discharged when her symptoms had greatly improved 1 week later. When dextrocardia is present, using active fixation leads in the atrial and ventricular leads is easier for finding the pacing position with optimal sensing and pacing thresholds, and they reduce the incidence of falling off.
Formulating a New Orthodontic Index: An Indian Board of Orthodontics Initiative—Part 2
Authors: George Ashwin Mathew , Vakil Ketan , Govindaraj Aravinthrajkumar , Kumar Marimuthu Vadivel , Gautam Rajaganesh , Nene Salil
Published: March 2022

A new orthodontic index was proposed by the College of Diplomates to assess the degree of difficulty of cases submitted for the Indian Board of Orthodontics Phase III clinical examinations. This article is the continuation of the part 1 article which gave a brief insight into the need and the methodology undertaken to formulate this index. A weightage score grading the degree of severity of a case was obtained for dental, cephalometric, and miscellaneous components based on the results of a survey taken from the Diplomates of the Indian Board of Orthodontics. An aesthetic component was also developed using photographs and the relative aesthetic score for every photograph was graded. This index would help to categorize the malocclusion based on the severity, in a single, linear, and transparent manner.
Prevalence of elevated Anti-p53 in Chinese patients with upper gastrointestinal or colorectal cancer
Authors: Wang Min , Xie Suhong , Gao Xiang , Feng Jingjing , Deng Minjie , Sun Jiajun , He Ying , Donner Horst , Lu Renqun , Guo Lin
Published: March 2022

Background

The monitoring of anti-p53 auto-antibodies in the peripheral blood has been used in cancer management; however, their clinical significance alone is limited. This pilot study aimed to describe the prevalence of elevated anti-p53 in newly diagnosed or recurrent upper gastrointestinal cancer or colorectal cancer in Chinese subjects. It also evaluated whether the addition of anti-p53 to a set of established tumor markers would allow for the detection of additional cancer cases than when using these markers alone.

Methods

A total of 573 subjects, including 187 healthy individuals, 169 patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer and 217 patients with colorectal cancer were included in this observational, prospective study. All subjects were required to provide up to 10 mL of blood. The following biomarkers were measured: anti-p53, carcinoembryonic antigen, cancer antigen (CA)19-9, and CA72-4.

Results

At the cutoff of 0.02 µg/mL, the sensitivity of anti-p53 in early-stage upper gastrointestinal cancer and colorectal cancer was 8.16% and 26.4%, and in late-stage disease was 7.81 and 28.0%, respectively. The specificity of anti-p53 in the healthy cohort at this cutoff was 98.4%. By adding anti-p53 to other tumor markers, the sensitivities were increased by 8.88%–9.47% in upper gastrointestinal cancer, and by 18.06%–25.00% in colorectal cancer; specificities decreased by 1%–2%.

Conclusion

The addition of anti-p53 to established tumor markers may improve their diagnostic value for patients with colorectal cancer.
Parallel Line Sign—A New MRI Sign Associated With Chronic Sacroiliitis: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Associations
Authors: Miao Timothy L. , Randhawa Shubreet , Roth Michael J. , Bureau Yves , Howey Joanne , Garvin Gregory J.
Published: March 2022

Purpose: The purpose is to demonstrate the existence of the parallel line sign (PLS), a dark line parallel to the sacroiliac joint (SIJ), and determine its prevalence, characteristics, and associations. Methods: 200 consecutive SIJ MRIs referred by rheumatologists were retrospectively reviewed for the presence of the PLS. Presence and extent of imaging features of sacroiliitis (bone marrow edema, fatty infiltration, erosions, sclerosis, and ankylosis) were evaluated. Results: Prevalence of PLS was 11.5% (23/200), with 9 subjects having bilateral PLS, resulting in 32 SIJs showing a PLS. Every PLS involved the synovial portion of the SIJ, and almost all (31/32, 96.9%) involved the iliac (rather than sacral) side of the SIJ. Every PLS occurred with at least one established imaging feature of sacroiliitis. Presence of a PLS was associated with higher prevalence of erosions (78.3% vs 36.7% in those without PLS, P < .001), greater extent of SIJ involvement by erosions (3.6 ± 1.3 vs 2.3 ± 1.1 quadrants of the SIJ involved, P < .001), and higher density of erosions per centimeter (88.9% vs 46.2% with >2 erosions/cm, P = .001). There was higher prevalence of bone marrow edema, fatty infiltration, and sclerosis in those with PLS compared to those without PLS ( P = .001, P < .001, and P = .006, respectively). Extent of involvement by any of these features was not significantly different between the two groups ( P = .22, P = .16, and P = .46, respectively). Conclusions: The PLS is associated with imaging features of chronic sacroiliitis, especially erosions. Knowledge of the existence of the PLS may help avoid misdiagnosis of an insufficiency fracture and increase confidence in the diagnosis of sacroiliitis.
Preparation of polybutylene terephthalate/artificial marble wastes composites with simultaneously enhanced thermal, crystallization, and impact properties by in situ polymerization
Authors: Feng Tianliang , Li Yangzhou , Pang Yilan , Fang Liang , Chen Zhenming
Published: March 2022

The treatment of artificial marble wastes (AMWs) is a difficult aspect of the artificial marble industry and has enormous impacts on the environment. Herein, a series of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)/AMWs composites were prepared by in situ polymerization. The effects of AMWs content (1–10 wt%) on the thermal stability, crystallization rate, and impact strength of the PBT/AMWs composites were investigated in detail. The results showed that the composites containing 10 wt% of AMWs exhibited the best performance. Due to the high thermal resistance and uniform distribution of the AMWs particles, the heat deflection temperature reached 67.40°C with optimal thermal stability. Additionally, under heterogeneous nucleation, the crystallization rate was also the highest, and impact strength reached 17.29 kJ/m2 due to the partial core-shell structure and hardened matrix effects of the AMWs particles.
Safety and Tolerability of Intravenous Push Lacosamide and Levetiracetam
Authors: Ragoonanan David , Tran Nicolas , Levesque Melissa
Published: March 2022

Background: Lacosamide and levetiracetam are antiseizure medications (ASMs) commonly utilized in the treatment and prevention of seizures. Historically, these agents have been administered as slow IV infusions after further dilution. Recent literature suggests that rapid administration via undiluted IV push may be safe and may increase efficiency of administration. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of undiluted IV push lacosamide and levetiracetam over 5 min. Methods: This study was conducted as a single-centered, retrospective, observational cohort that analyzed the rapid administration of undiluted lacosamide and levetiracetam. Adult patients admitted from September 1st, 2019, to May 31st, 2020, receiving at least one administration of IV push lacosamide at any dose or levetiracetam at doses ≤ 1500 mg were evaluated. The primary safety outcomes were the incidence of hypotension and bradycardia. Results: A total of 86 subjects were evaluated; 36 patients were administered lacosamide, and 50 patients were administered levetiracetam. Hypotension or bradycardia occurred in 6 patients in the lacosamide group (16.6%) and 6 patients in the levetiracetam group (12.0%). There were no reported infusion site reactions. Among the subjects who received lacosamide and had a 12-lead electrocardiogram (EKG), there were no reported incidences of a prolonged PR interval. Conclusions: In this safety-analysis cohort, undiluted lacosamide and levetiracetam were not associated with significant adverse events when administered via IV push over 5 min. This seems to be a safe alternative method of administration to intermittent infusion. A larger, prospective cohort is needed to confirm these findings.
Entropy analysis of radiative [MgZn6Zr-Cu/EO] Casson hybrid nanoliquid with variant thermal conductivity along a stretching surface: Implementing Keller box method
Authors: Jamshed Wasim , Mohd Nasir Nor Ain Azeany , Brahmia Ameni , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy , Eid Mohamed R.
Published: March 2022

Heat transfer is critical due to its broad application in a variety of industries. New hybrid nanofluids are being used to improve the heat transfer competencies of ordinary fluids and have an enormous exponent heat than nanofluids. Hybrid nanofluids, a novel form of nanofluid, are being utilized to improve the heat transfer capacities of regular fluids and have a more outstanding heat exponent than nanofluids. Two-element nanoparticles submerged in a base fluid make up the hybrid nanofluids. Flow and heat transport properties of a hybrid nanofluid across a slick surface are studied in this study. Nanoparticle shape analysis, porous media, thermal conductance variations, and thermal radiative effects are all part of the process. A numerical approach called the Keller box method is used to solve the governing equations numerically. EO-Engine Oil has been used as a rich, viscous base fluid in this study, and a Cason hybrid nanofluid was examined. This fluid contains two diverse forms of nanoparticles: Copper (Cu) and Magnesium Zinc Zirconium alloy (MgZn6Zr). Compared to standard Cu-EO nanofluids, the heat transmission level of such a fluid (MgZn6Zr-Cu/EO) has steadily increased, which is an important finding from this study. The boundary-lamina-shaped layer's components have the highest thermal conductivity, while sphere-shaped nanoparticles have the lowest. When nanoparticles are assimilated, the entropy of the system increases by a factor of three: their ratio by fractional size, their radiative properties, and their thermal conductivity variations.
Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort
Authors: Woolley Kaitlin , Fishbach Ayelet
Published: March 2022

Achieving personal growth often requires experiencing discomfort. What if instead of tolerating discomfort (e.g., feeling awkward or uncomfortable), people actively sought it out? Because discomfort is usually experienced immediately and is easy to detect, we suggest that seeking discomfort as a signal of growth can increase motivation. Five experiments (total N = 2,163 adults) tested this prediction across various areas of personal growth: taking improvisation classes to increase self-confidence, engaging in expressive writing to process difficult emotions, becoming informed about the COVID-19 health crisis, opening oneself to opposing political viewpoints, and learning about gun violence. Across these areas of personal development, seeking discomfort as a signal of self-growth motivated engagement and increased perceived goal achievement relative to standard instructions. Consistent with our theorizing, results showed that these effects occurred only in areas of personal growth that cause immediate discomfort.
Holocaust denial, Le Vicaire, and the absent presence of Nadine Fresco and Paul Rassinier in Jorge Semprún's La Montagne blanche
Authors: Reid Donald
Published: March 2022

The importance to Jorge Semprún of confronting Holocaust denial in Vichy Syndrome France is not central to analyses that have been done of La Montagne blanche. To detect it, we must do what Semprún never stops asking readers to do: visit the external worlds to which his text directs us and reread his corpus so as to return with new insights and questions to pose to the text at hand. This essay examines La Montagne blanche in light of Semprún's presentation of Jewish characters in Le grand voyage; his adaptation of Rolf Hochhuth's Le Vicaire; his critique of the Communist party's belated acknowledgment of the gulag; his relationships to the Holocaust denier and severe critic of the Communists at Buchenwald, Paul Rassinier, and to Nadine Fresco, the most penetrating analyst of Rassinier; and his attention to Holocaust denial when he wrote fiction rooted in historical situations. Holocaust denial is an erasure. La Montagne blanche draws our attention to that erasure in a novel in which the subject is hardly mentioned.
“A ghost in the system”: French nuclear colonialism and the haunting of republicanism
Authors: Caswell Pierre-Elliot
Published: March 2022

While France claims to be the nation of universal human rights, its historical intimacy with imperialism would suggest otherwise. The discourse of Republicanism is therefore what allows France to erase and smooth out rhetorical and material incongruities, allowing it to retain its national integrity. This article thus examines the discursive continuities between two constitutive realms of French power: colonialism and nuclearism. I argue that, rather than being separate, these two matrices must be understood as one continuum traversed by the same questions. I analyze their conjoined structure through two historical speeches which both rely on universal Republicanism as justification: Jules Ferry’s 1885 intervention at the National Assembly defending his imperial legacy; and Charles de Gaulle's speeches in Papeete, in 1966, promising a radiant future to Tahiti in the postcolonial era. Republican universalism as a discursive tool, however, is not impervious to porousness: it is always haunted by the violence it inflicts and the peoples it affects. An attention to the ghosts that live inside the social fabric produced by this discourse, thus, helps us critically engage Republican universalism and reorganize the hidden, paradoxical aspects of French (post)colonial memory. Haunting, in other words, becomes a decolonial praxis for recovering what has been negated and interrupting the appearance of narrative cohesion that France relies upon.
Navigating violence and risk: A critical discourse analysis of blind women's portrayals of self-protective measures
Authors: Fabricius Alexis , O’Doherty Kieran , Rutherford Alexandra
Published: March 2022

Women with disabilities experience high rates of violence and harassment, yet meaningful violence prevention interventions providing the opportunity to learn how to be active agents in their own self-protection are virtually non-existent. To understand why, we draw on insights from feminist disability studies to explore some of the unexamined assumptions and discourses in gender-based violence prevention research. We then apply a feminist critical discourse analysis to focus groups with blind and partially sighted women to explore their talk about violence and self-defence to understand how they portray self-protective measures, and what practices those portrayals engender. We discerned three portrayals: self-protective measures as necessary against strangers, a delimited responsibility, and an effective means to an end. These portrayals and their subsequent practices demonstrate how the participants navigate violence while living with vision loss. We also consider the implications of our analysis for future directions in gendered violence prevention research.
Causal mediation analysis with multiple causally non-ordered and ordered mediators based on summarized genetic data
Authors: Hou Lei , Yu Yuanyuan , Sun Xiaoru , Liu Xinhui , Yu Yifan , Li Hongkai , Xue Fuzhong
Published: March 2022

Causal mediation analysis investigates the mechanism linking exposure and outcome. Dealing with the impact of unobserved confounders among exposure, mediator and outcome is an issue of great concern. Moreover, when multiple mediators exist, this causal pathway intertwines with other causal pathways, rendering it difficult to estimate the path-specific effects. In this study, we propose a method (PSE-MR) to identify and estimate path-specific effects of an exposure (e.g. education) on an outcome (e.g. osteoarthritis risk) through multiple causally ordered and non-ordered mediators (e.g. body mass index and pack-years of smoking) using summarized genetic data, when the sequential ignorability assumption is violated. Specifically, PSE-MR requires a specific rank condition in which the number of instrumental variables is larger than the number of mediators. Furthermore, we illustrate the utility of PSE-MR by providing guidance for practitioners and exploring the mediation effects of body mass index and pack-years of smoking in the causal pathways from education to osteoarthritis risk. Additionally, the results of simulation reveal that the causal estimates of path-specific effects are almost unbiased with good coverage and Type I error properties. Also, we summarize the least number of instrumental variables for the specific number of mediators to achieve 80% power.