bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of Suture Absorbability on Rotator Cuff Healing in a Rabbit Rotator Cuff Repair Model
Authors: Su Wei , Qi Wenxiao , Li Xiaoxi , Zhao Song , Jiang Jia , Zhao Jinzhong
Published: August 2018

Background:

Various suture materials can be clinically used for rotator cuff repair (RCR). RCR with high-strength nonabsorbable sutures may not be ideal, because it may cause stress shielding, which may hinder enthesis regeneration and maturation in the tendon-bone interface. RCR with strength-decreasing sutures (ie, absorbable sutures) may be a better choice. However, the effects of suture absorbability on enthesis regeneration and maturation have not been investigated.

Hypothesis:

The use of absorbable sutures in RCR would produce a better tendon-bone connection structure, which provides histological and biomechanical advantages over the use of nonabsorbable sutures.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

A supraspinatus tear was created on the right shoulder in 108 of 120 skeletally mature male rabbits. The animals were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 36 rabbits in each group, to undergo RCR individually with total absorbable, partial absorbable, and nonabsorbable sutures (TAS, PAS, and NAS). Twelve animals in each group were sacrificed at 4, 8, and 12 weeks after surgery, with 6 operated shoulders used for histological evaluation to detect enthesis regeneration and maturation and the other 6 for biomechanical testing. The remaining 12 animals without supraspinatus tear were used as control.

Results:

At 12 weeks, in the tendon-bone interface, enthesis regeneration was detected in the TAS group but not in the NAS group. A mature enthesis appeared in the TAS group but not in the NAS group. In the PAS group, enthesis regeneration was also observed; however, the fibrocartilage was not abundant and the enthesis maturity not good as compared with the TAS group. Biomechanical testing showed that the rotator cuff–greater tuberosity connection structure in the TAS and PAS groups had greater values of ultimate load to failure, stiffness, and stress than the NAS group at all time points.

Conclusion:

In RCR in an acute rabbit rotator cuff tear model, the use of sutures with absorbability lead to enthesis regeneration, increased maturity of rotator cuff insertion, and enhanced rotator cuff–greater tuberosity connection.

Clinical Relevance:

Compared with the use of NAS, the use of TAS or PAS might be a better choice for RCR.
Bioactive Tape With BMP-2 Binding Peptides Captures Endogenous Growth Factors and Accelerates Healing After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Crispim João F. , Fu Sai C. , Lee Yuk W. , Fernandes Hugo A.M. , Jonkheijm Pascal , Yung Patrick S.H. , Saris Daniël B.F.
Published: August 2018

Background:

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has poor regenerative capacity, and an injury leads to loss of function, limiting quality of life and increasing the incidence of osteoarthritis. Surgical interventions can stabilize the joint and improve functional recovery. The delivery of growth factors (GFs) enhances the healing process; however, this is complex in its regulation, is high in costs, has side effects, and can only be accomplished with supraphysiological concentrations and thus is currently not clinically feasible. However, the immobilization of a patient’s endogenous GFs in biomaterials can overcome these problems.

Purpose:

To develop a method to capture endogenous bone morphogenetic protein–2 (BMP-2) and ultimately show enhanced ACL healing in vivo using this novel methodology.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

BMP-2 binding peptides were synthetized, purified, and immobilized on polycaprolactone (PCL) films. The affinity between the peptide and human BMP-2 (hBMP-2) was confirmed with immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The C2C12 Luc reporter cell line was used to confirm the bioactivity of immobilized BMP-2. For in vivo experiments, the same functionalization technology was applied to the commercially available Polytape, and the functionalized tape was sutured together with the graft used for ACL reconstruction in rats. Each animal underwent reconstruction with either native Polytape (n = 3) or Polytape with BMP-2 binding peptides (n = 3). At 2 and 6 weeks after surgery, the graft was assessed by histology and micro–computed tomography.

Results:

The covalent immobilization of the peptide in PCL was successful, allowing the peptide to capture hBMP-2, which remained bioactive and led to the osteogenic differentiation of C2C12. In vivo experiments confirmed the potential of the Polytape functionalized with the BMP-2 binding peptide to capture endogenous BMP-2, leading to enhanced bone formation inside the femoral and tibial tunnels and ultimately improving the graft’s quality.

Conclusion:

The incorporation of BMP-2 binding peptides into materials used for ACL reconstruction can capture endogenous hBMP-2, which enhances the healing process inside the bone tunnels.

Clinical Relevance:

These results demonstrate the potential of using synthetic peptides to endow biomaterials with novel biological functions, namely to capture and immobilize endogenous GFs.
Anti-politics, the early Marx and Gramsci’s ‘integral state’
Authors: Humphrys Elizabeth
Published: August 2018

This article traces a line of theorisation regarding the state-civil society relationship, from Marx’s early writings to Gramsci’s conception of the integral state. The article argues that Marx developed, through his critique of Hegel, a valuable understanding of the state-civil society connection that emphasised the antagonism between them in capitalist societies. Alternatively, Gramsci’s conception of the ‘integral state’ posits an interconnection and dialectical unity of the state and civil society, where the latter is integrated under the leadership of the former. The article argues that while Marx and Gramsci’s positions are, at first, seemingly incongruous ideas – as to the ‘separation’ in Marx and ‘integration’ in Gramsci – this tension can be bridged when the integral state is understood as being always necessarily unstable. The article argues that this framework can help us understand the contemporary breakdown of political rule in the phenomenon known as ‘anti-politics’.
Interlocutions with passive revolution
Authors: Bieler Andreas , Morton Adam David
Published: August 2018

This article critically engages with debates on uneven and combined development and particularly the lack of attention given in this literature to accounts of spatial diversity in capitalism’s outward expansion as well as issues of Eurocentrism. Through interlocutions with Antonio Gramsci on his theorising of state formation and capitalist modernity and the notion of passive revolution, we draw out the internal relationship between the structuring condition of uneven and combined development and the class agency of passive revolution. Interlocuting with passive revolution places Antonio Gramsci firmly within a stream of classic social theory shaping considerations of capitalist modernity. As a result, by building on cognate theorising elsewhere, passive revolution can then be established as a lateral field of causality that necessarily grasps spatio-temporal dynamics linked to both state and subaltern class practices of transformation in social property relations, situated within the structuring conditions of uneven and combined development.
Hegemony thinking
Authors: Shalbak Ihab
Published: August 2018

This paper is concerned with the deployment and the transformation of Gramsci’s notion of hegemony and the purpose it serves. I argue that, in its travel from Rome to London, this notion acquired something like a truth-value. In London the notion yielded what I call ‘hegemony thinking’: a distinctive style of thinking that focused on strategy to carry out effective political interventions. To demonstrate my claim I trace the Marxism Today discussion on the crisis of the Left and strategy in the UK. In particular, I look at the engagements of the late historian Eric Hobsbawm and the cultural theorist Stuart Hall with Gramsci’s work, and examine the appropriation of the coordinates of hegemony by the entrepreneur and Blair policy advisor Geoff Mulgan.
Gramsci in Brazil
Authors: Roberts Philip
Published: August 2018

This article examines the specific case of Brazil as an area in which Gramscian analysis has been put to practical use. It examines the application of Gramsci’s work to Brazilian reality in three different ways. First, the introduction of concepts derived from the Prison Notebooks in order to understand the development of capitalism in Brazil. This aspect deals in particular with the concept of ‘passive revolution’, and the relationship between ‘Eastern’ and ‘Western’ social formations in Gramsci’s analysis. Second, the role of Gramscian thought for political parties, particularly the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB) and later the Workers Party (PT), in particular the novel formulations of Gramsci’s concept of hegemony that appear during the PT presidencies. Third, the varied appropriation of Gramscian analysis by the Landless Workers Movement of Brazil (MST), situated in an appreciation of Gramsci’s concept of the ‘Modern Prince’. The purpose of the article is to reflect on the possibilities and limitations of translating Gramsci’s thought to new contexts, and how new developments may or may not maintain the leitmotif of his thought.
Webs of meaning: Theories and evidence from contemporary Ireland
Authors: Inglis Tom
Published: August 2018

Meaning is basic to social life. Without it we are, as Bourdieu put it, like fish out water. And yet, within mainstream sociology, meaning is taken for granted. There are two questions. Is it important to try and get at meaning? And, if yes, how do we do so? In this article, I argue that we have progressed much theoretically from the debate that took place between Schutz and Parsons back in the 1960s. It is as if meaning and structures are opposite sides of the same coin but we either look at one side or the other: we cannot address them simultaneously. However, I argue that to do good sociology, it is necessary to try to marry what is going on in the actor with the way in which the actor is constituted within social structures. Given that we can only develop an approximate understanding of any actor and that we can only develop an approximate understanding of social structures, any attempt to link the two is necessarily tentative but, nevertheless, worthwhile.
Hyperinflation of Nitroprusside
Authors: Cobb Alex , Thornton Luciana
Published: August 2018

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is a generically available and rapid-acting intravenous (IV) vasodilator that has been used clinically for decades. Prior to 2013, the cost of SNP was relatively low, and SNP was an affordable option for the treatment of acute hypertension. However, from 2013 to 2017, average wholesale prices for SNP rose to as high as $900 per vial, earning the drug its status as a “hyperinflation drug.” Hyperinflation drugs such as SNP pose a significant challenge for pharmacy departments. A multidisciplinary effort involving stakeholders from many backgrounds, including pharmacists, physicians, and nurses, is key to developing an effective plan to address the problem. A therapeutic interchange, wherein a drug with similar efficacy is substituted for another, is often an appropriate strategy in this scenario. Fortunately, alternative drugs with a solid evidence base exist for the management of acute hypertension. The dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers, clevidipine and nicardipine, are IV titratable antihypertensive agents with favorable pharmacokinetic and safety profiles. Various studies indicate that clevidipine and nicardipine are effective alternatives to SNP for indications including hypertensive crisis and postoperative hypertension. Some hospitals have reported significant cost savings without adverse outcomes by substituting clevidipine or nicardipine for SNP. This article is intended to serve as a review of the evidence for clevidipine and nicardipine as potential substitutes for SNP and to provide strategies to successfully implement this therapeutic interchange.
ANFIS-Delta method for aerodynamic parameter estimation using flight data
Authors: Kumar Ajit , Ghosh Ajoy Kanti
Published: August 2018

In this paper, aerodynamic parameters have been estimated using neuro-fuzzy-based novel approach (ANFIS-Delta). ANFIS-Delta is an extension of a feed-forward neural network based Delta method. This method augments the philosophies of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) in the Delta method. The current work studies the comparison of ANFIS-Delta estimated results with the existing methods using the flight data gathered on the Hansa-3 research aircraft at IIT Kanpur and also, demonstrates the efficacy of the algorithm on DLR HFB-320 aircraft data. Further, the robustness of the ANFIS-Delta is examined using simulated data with known measurement noise of various strength and estimated parameters are compared with the wind tunnel extracted aerodynamic parameters.
High prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among women screened for a contraceptive intravaginal ring study, Kisumu, Kenya, 2014
Authors: Oliver Vincent O , Otieno George , Gvetadze Roman , Desai Mitesh A , Makanga Mumbi , Akelo Victor , Gust Deborah A , Nyagol Beatrice , McLellan-Lemal Eleanor
Published: August 2018

We assessed prevalence and correlates of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), gonorrhoea (GC), syphilis (SYP), Chlamydia (CT) and HIV among Kenyan women aged 18–34 years who were screened for a contraceptive intravaginal ring study. Women provided demographic, behavioural and medical information, and underwent medical evaluation, including a pelvic exam. We computed crude and adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) using log-binomial regression. Of 463 women screened, 457 provided laboratory specimens and were included in the analysis. The median age was 25 years, interquartile range (21–28), and 68.5% had completed primary or lower education. Overall, 72.2% tested positive for any STI or BV. Point prevalence was 55.6, 38.5, 3.9, 2.0, 4.6, and 14.7% for HSV-2, BV, GC, SYP, CT, and HIV, respectively. Co-infection with HSV-2, BV, and HIV occurred in 28 (6.1%) participants. Having ≥1 STI/BV was associated with younger age at first sex (≤13 versus 17–19 years, aPR=1.27, 95% CI 1.07–1.51), history of exchange sex (aPR = 2.05, 95% CI 1.07–3.92), sexual intercourse in the past seven days (aPR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.01–1.36), and older age (30–34 versus 18–24 years, aPR = 1.26, 95% CI 1.06–1.48). STI/BV diagnosis was less likely for women reporting one lifetime sexual partner compared to women with ≥4 lifetime sexual partners (aPR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54–0.92). Combination prevention approaches (biomedical, behavioural, social, and structural) tailored to women with diverse risk profiles may help mitigate STI/BV prevalence in this setting.
Polymorphisms of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate transporters and risk of kidney tubular dysfunction in HIV-positive patients: genetics of tenofovir transporters
Authors: Danjuma Mohammed I , Egan Deirdre , Abubeker Ibrahim Yusuf , Post Frank , Khoo Saye
Published: August 2018

The association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of genes encoding transport proteins involved in the bio-disposition of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and kidney tubular dysfunction (KTD) in HIV-positive patients was examined in this study. Fifty-eight patients who received TDF were screened for KTD using retinol-binding protein (RBP) concentration in urine. We defined KTD as the top quartile of urinary RBP/creatinine ratio (>17 μg/mmol), regardless of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or proteinuria. Genotyping of genes encoding transport proteins involved in the disposition of TDF was undertaken using validated Taqman 5′ nuclease assays. Patients with KTD (N = 15) had higher current CD4 cell counts, lower eGFR and were less likely to possess the genotype CC at position 24 of the ABBC2 (MRP2, rs717620) gene. In multivariate analysis, genotype CC at position 24 of the ABBC2 gene was significantly associated with KTD (odds ratio =0.05, 95% confidence interval = 0.003–0.7, P = 0.027). Genotype CC at position 24 of the ABBC2 (MRP2 rs717620) gene was significantly associated with a reduced risk of elevated urinary RBP in HIV-positive patients exposed to TDF.
A taxonomy of the scope and organization of local sexually transmitted disease services for policy and practice
Authors: Rodriguez Hector P , Starling Summer , Kandel Zosha , Weech-Maldonado Robert , Moss Nicholas J , Silver Lynn
Published: August 2018

Local health departments (LHDs) and their organizational partners play a critical role in controlling sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. We examine variation in the differentiation, integration, and concentration (DIC) of STD services and develop a taxonomy describing the scope and organization of local STD services. LHD STD programs (n = 115) in Alabama (AL) and California (CA) responded to surveys assessing STD services available in 2014. K-means cluster analysis identified LHD groupings based on DIC variation. Discriminant analysis validated cluster solutions. Differences in organizational partnerships and scope of STD services were compared by taxonomy category. Multivariable regression models estimated the association of the STD services organization taxonomy and five-year (2010–2014) gonorrhea incidence rates, controlling for county-level sociodemographics and resources. A three-cluster solution was identified: (1) low DIC (n = 74), (2) moderate DIC (n = 31), and (3) high DIC (n = 10). In discriminant analysis, 95% of jurisdictions were classiﬁed into the same types as originally assigned through K-means cluster analysis. High DIC jurisdictions were more likely (p < 0.001) to partner with most organizations than moderate and low DIC jurisdictions, and more likely (p < 0.001) to conduct STD needs assessment, comprehensive sex education, and targeted screening. In contrast, contact tracing, case management, and investigations were conducted similarly across jurisdictions. In adjusted analyses, there were no differences in gonorrhea incidence rates by category. Jurisdictions in CA and AL can be characterized into three distinct clusters based on the DIC of STD services. Taxonomic analyses may aid in improving the reach and effectiveness of STD services.
Prevalence and association of syphilis reactivity in an Asian memory clinic population
Authors: Gyanwali Bibek , Shaik Muhammad A , Hilal Saima , Cano Jemellee , Chen Christopher , Venketasubramanian Narayanaswamy
Published: August 2018

Data on the association between syphilis reactivity and dementia in memory clinic patients are scarce. We studied the prevalence of syphilis reactivity and investigated its association with dementia and markers of cerebrovascular disease (CeVD) and neurodegeneration. Data on age, gender, education, brain computed tomography scan findings and syphilis reactivity were obtained from patients who attended the National University Hospital memory clinics (February 2006–February 2016) and subjects from the community. Binary logistic regression models were used to investigate associations between syphilis reactivity and dementia, CeVD and neurodegeneration, and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Of 1271 memory clinic patients eligible for the study, 57 (4.5%) were syphilis reactive, with the rate of syphilis reactivity higher in demented (44/745; 5.9%) compared to non-demented (13/526; 2.5%) patients ( p = 0.004) and non-demented community-based (21/872; 2.4%) subjects ( p < 0.001). Binary logistic regression showed a significant association between syphilis reactivity and dementia in memory clinic patients independent of demographic factors (odds ratio: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.02–4.17, p = 0.044). A significant association between syphilis reactivity and dementia was found in memory clinic patients. The mechanism of this association requires further research and may involve neuroinflammation.
The adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in academic libraries: A comparative exploration
Authors: Williams Marion Lucille
Published: August 2018

This paper addresses the adoption and non-adoption of communication methods such as social media and explores the implementation of Web 2.0 technologies and their use in academic libraries. I interviewed 16 library employees from six academic university libraries in the Flanders region of Belgium and in South Africa. I explored five academic university libraries in the urban regions of Flanders and South Africa and one situated in a rural region of South Africa. This article discusses the benefits of using social media as a communication tool to engage with students. The results demonstrate that ‘ease of use’ was portrayed as a beneficial construct and has a positive influence on behavioural intention and use of Web 2.0 technologies. A comparison on the adoption of social media between the two countries indicate that financial resources, infrastructure and management support are crucial determining factors in service delivery.
A hybrid method of the sequential Monte Carlo and the Edgeworth expansion for computation of very small p-values in permutation tests
Authors: Yang James J , Trucco Elisa M , Buu Anne
Published: August 2018

Permutation tests are very useful when parametric assumptions are violated or distributions of test statistics are mathematically intractable. The major advantage of permutation tests is that the procedure is so general that it is applicable to most test statistics. The computational expense is, however, impractical in high-dimensional settings such as genomewide association studies. This study provides a comprehensive review of existing methods that can compute very small p-values efficiently. A common issue with existing methods is that they can only be applied to a specific test statistic. To fill in the knowledge gap, we propose a hybrid method of the sequential Monte Carlo and the Edgeworth expansion approximation for a studentized statistic, which is applicable to a variety of test statistics. The simulation results show that the proposed method performs better than competing methods. Furthermore, applications of the proposed method are demonstrated by statistical analysis on the genomewide association studies data from the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment (SAGE).
Global Citizenship and Cross-Cultural Competency: Student and Expert Understandings of Internationalization Terminology
Authors: Cotton Debby R. E. , Morrison David , Magne Polly , Payne Simon , Heffernan Troy
Published: August 2018

Internationalization of the curriculum is of increasing interest in many universities; yet, the terminology used to describe it is highly varied and it is not clear that students understand its core concepts. This study explores students’ understandings of the terms global citizenship and cross-cultural competency, and compares them with use in the literature and by experts. A large-scale questionnaire of students from a range of disciplines is supplemented with qualitative data from pedagogic and internationalization experts. Findings indicate that student understandings of both terms were mixed, and frequently differed from the way the terms are used by experts and in the literature. The concept of cross-cultural competency was more likely to invoke a sense of agency among students than was global citizenship, contrary to how they are depicted in the literature. This suggests that there may be some pedagogic benefits to be gained from using the former term.
Advance Care Planning in a Geriatric Primary Care Clinic: A Retrospective Chart Review
Authors: Barkley Ariana , Liquori Mike , Cunningham Amy , Liantonio John , Worster Brooke , Parks Susan
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

Advance care planning (ACP) is theorized to benefit both the patient and their family when end of life is near as well as earlier in the course of serious illness. However, ACP remains underutilized, and little is known about the nature of ACP documentation in geriatrics practices. The study investigated the prevalence and nature of ACP documentation within a geriatric primary care clinic.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review was conducted on a randomly selected sample of electronic medical record (EMR) charts. The sample consisted of patients aged 65 and older who were seen in the clinic from January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2016. Charts were reviewed for ACP documentation and data regarding age, gender, race, religion, comorbidities (end-stage renal disease, congestive heart failure, cancer, and dementia), recent hospitalizations, and visit type.

Results:

Ninety-eight charts were reviewed (n = 98). Nine patients (9.18%) had an advance directive (AD) or power of attorney (POA) available within their EMR. Twenty-five patients (25.5%) had provider notes documenting that they have an AD, POA, or preferred health-care decision maker; however, no documents were available. The remaining 64 (65.3%) patients had no evidence of ACP documentation within their EMR. Age was the only demographic variable associated with completion of an AD ( P = .038).

Discussion:

The rate of ACP documentation (34.6%) was lower than the average among US adults aged 65 and over (45.6%); further, most patients with ACP documentation did not have an AD or POA on file. The authors plan to reevaluate ACP statistics in the same office following a future intervention.
HIV Clinical Updates: New Single-Tablet Regimens
Authors: Sebaaly Jamielynn C. , Kelley Denise
Published: August 2018

Objective: To review the pharmacokinetics, safety, common drug-drug interactions (DDIs), and advantages and disadvantages of new single-tablet regimens (STRs) approved since September 2016 for HIV-1 infection. Data Sources: A search using PubMed was conducted (2004 through May 2018) using the following keywords: single tablet regimen AND HIV. Additionally, a PubMed search was conducted for each individual STR using the generic names of the agents. For specific STRs, additional search terms were added to narrow results. Articles were evaluated for content, and additional references were identified from a review of literature citations. Conference abstracts from national and international HIV conferences were also searched. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Studies included were published randomized controlled trials and observational studies that evaluated STR approved since September 2016. Relevant conference abstracts were included if the study design was a randomized controlled trial or observational study pertaining to the STRs included. Data Synthesis: Four new STRs are available, including the first dual antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen for virologically suppressed patients. Of the STRs, only 1 is a new molecular entity, and others include new combinations of existing agents that result in distinct advantages and disadvantages. Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: The treatment of HIV-1 continues to improve with new agents developed rapidly. These agents should be analyzed in regard to efficacy, safety, DDIs, and appropriateness for specific patients on an individual basis. Conclusions: STRs and agents in the pipeline continue to simplify ART regimens, increase medication adherence, and minimize toxicities.
The transposed femoral vein arteriovenous fistula for hemodialysis
Authors: Söderman Martin , Lindholt Jes S , Clausen Lene L
Published: August 2018

Introduction:

The prevalence and incidence of patients in need of hemodialysis worldwide are increasing. The population in need of hemodialysis is becoming older and vascular comorbidities are more frequent than decades ago. Consequently, the prevalence of patients with exhausted possibilities of upper limb vascular accesses increases. In contrast to other lower limb vascular accesses, a fistula by transposing the femoral vein to the superficial femoral artery promises better patency rates in preliminary series.

Methods:

The first seven cases performed between October 2015 and March 2017 at the only center in Denmark performing this procedure were reviewed regarding demographics, comorbidities, complications, and patency.

Results:

The study population consisted of five males and two females, with a mean age of 61.6 ± 9.9 years, mean body mass index 24.9 ± 2.6, with various causes of uremia. Five patients (71.4%) experienced at least one complication, such as wound dehiscence, lymphocele, infection, hematoma, or steal. First cannulation of the transposing the femoral vein to the superficial femoral artery was conducted after 12.2 ± 4.3 weeks. Postoperatively, the patients have been followed 16.4 ± 9.6 months in the dialysis center. All but one is still using their transposing the femoral vein to the superficial femoral artery for dialysis, but three of these needed revision to maintain patency giving a primary and primary-assisted patency of 42.9 (95% confidence interval: 15.8–75.0) and 85.7 (95% confidence interval: 48.7–97.4), respectively.

Conclusion:

Although postoperative complications and need for revision to maintain patency persists, our experience suggests that this is a feasible method when it is no longer possible to create an upper extremity vascular access. A learning curve for the entire vascular access team must be expected.
The Effect of Perioperative Bevacizumab on Disease-Free and Overall Survival in Locally Advanced HER-2 Negative Breast Cancer: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Alnimer Yanal , Hindi Zakaria , Katato Khalil
Published: August 2018

Introduction:

Multiple trials demonstrated that adding Bevacizumab to the standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER-2 negative breast cancer increases pathological complete response. We conducted this meta-analysis to evaluate that effect on survival.

Methods:

We performed a systematic search for randomized trials measuring the effect of adding either neoadjuvant or adjuvant Bevacizumab to the standard chemotherapy on disease-free and overall survival in breast cancer surgical candidates. The Mantel-Haenszel method and random effect model were used to analyze the data. A total of 7 randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis with a mean follow-up of 45 months.

Results:

No statistically significant difference in overall survival was found after adding Bevacizumab to the standard chemotherapy in the overall study population, HR=0.9, 95% CI (90.72–1.13), estrogen/ progesterone positive subgroup, HR=0.99, 95% CI (0.72–1.35), or in triple negative breast cancer, HR=0.88, 95% CI (0.77–1.01). However, there was a small but significant improvement in disease-free survival in triple negative breast cancer with a HR of 0.88, 95% CI (0.78–0.98), but not in estrogen/ progesterone receptor positive tumors, HR=1.01, 95% CI (0.81–1.26).

Conclusions:

The addition of Bevacizumab along with the standard chemotherapy would not improve overall survival in breast cancer surgical candidates, however, due to a small but significant improvement on disease-free survival in triple negative breast cancer, that would not eliminate the possibility of a certain subgroup of the latter who might benefit from adding Bevacizumab.
Immune-mediated encephalitis with daclizumab: The final nail
Authors: Williams Thomas , Chataway Jeremy
Published: August 2018

We provide clinical commentary on this edition’s case report of immune-mediated encephalitis related to daclizumab therapy.
Mental wellbeing in the Anthropocene: Socio-ecological approaches to capability enhancement
Authors: White Ross G.
Published: August 2018

There is growing recognition that “human development” frameworks, such as the Capabilities Approach (CA) with its emphasis on the promotion of justice, offer promise for guiding efforts aimed at enhancing mental wellbeing. This article explores challenges that might arise when there is a need to arbitrate among the competing demands of different parties in their efforts to enhance capabilities. Particular tensions can arise when the efforts of particular individuals to enhance their capabilities exert pressure on scarce resources, or threaten the safety and security of people living in precarious environmental contexts. Consideration is given to the need for “an ethos of restraint” to balance the consumption of resources aimed at facilitating human development on the one hand, with the need to promote environmental justice on the other. The paper highlights research that has investigated how environmental factors can impact on mental wellbeing, including rapid urbanization, climate change related issues (such as weather systems, drought, food insecurity and rising sea-levels), and access to “green/blue spaces”. As such, the paper explores the important links that can exist between people and the ecosystems in which they live (including the way in which particular cultural beliefs and practices of indigenous groups can be tethered to the land). Elinor Ostrom’s “design principles”, derived from her work investigating the sustainable use of pooled resources, are presented as a helpful means of assisting members of communities to negotiate and apply “functioning constraints”, which can promote environmental justice whilst not compromising efforts aimed at promoting mental wellbeing.
The ‘common sense’ memory belief system and its implications
Authors: Akhtar Shazia , Justice Lucy V , Knott Lauren , Kibowski Fraenze , Conway Martin A
Published: August 2018

Memory experts, the police and the public completed a memory questionnaire containing a series of statements about autobiographical memory. The statements covered issues such as the nature of memory, determinants of accuracy and the relation of emotion and trauma to memory, and respondents indicated their agreement/disagreement with each of the statements. The police and public were found to share a ‘common sense’ memory belief system (CSMBS) in which memories were like videos/photographs, and accuracy was determined by the number of details recalled and also by their vividness. In direct contrast, the scientific memory belief system, held by memory researchers, largely based on scientific evidence, was the opposite of the CSMBS and memories were judged to be fragmentary, number of details and their nature did not predict accuracy, and memories and their details could be in error and even false. The problematic nature of the CSMBS, which is pervasive in society, in raising the probability of flawed judgments of memory evidence is considered and, by way of illustration, applied to the (very high) attrition rate in complaints of rape.
A softened membrane model for prestressed concrete composite box girders with corrugated steel webs under pure torsion
Authors: Shen Kongjian , Wan Shui , Mo YL , Li Xiayuan
Published: August 2018

Torsion can be regarded as a principal factor in some cases, such as in curved girders and eccentrically loaded girders, when conducting the structural analysis of prestressed concrete composite box girders with corrugated steel webs. Recently, a rational model, called the softened membrane model for torsion, was proposed for the torsional analysis of reinforced concrete members; thereafter, this model was extended to prestressed concrete members under pure torsion and called softened membrane model for torsion prestressed concrete. This article presents a modified model, the softened membrane model for torsion prestressed concrete for prestressed concrete composite box girders with corrugated steel webs, to analyze full torsional behavior. To build the model, the softened membrane model for torsion in reinforced concrete members is first extended to perform the torsional analysis of prestressed concrete composite box girders with corrugated steel webs by incorporating the torsional contribution of corrugated steel webs. Afterward, the initial stresses and strains due to prestressing are considered to extend the softened membrane model for torsion to softened membrane model for torsion prestressed concrete for prestressed concrete composite box girders with corrugated steel webs by modifying the equilibrium equations, convergence criteria, and constitutive laws of materials. The modified model is validated by experimental data and is proven to be capable of predicting the overall torque–twist curve, especially the precracked branch and postcracked ascending branch. In addition, a comparison between the softened membrane model for torsion and softened membrane model for torsion prestressed concrete indicates that the torque values before and after concrete cracking will be overestimated and underestimated, respectively, without considering the effect of the initial stresses and strains. Finally, another comparison shows that the softened membrane model for torsion prestressed concrete is superior to the rotating-angle truss model for torsion in its ability to predict the precracked branch of the torque–twist curve.
Gossip at one’s fingertips: Predictors of celebrity news on Twitter
Authors: Yan Yan , Zhang Wanjiang
Published: August 2018

The present study collected 2223 tweets of news about the Top 100 celebrities from People Magazine’s Twitter account during the year 2016. A combination of content analysis and social network analysis was used to examine celebrity attributes, news features, and the relationships between celebrities and news topics. Results indicated that news agendas and audiences’ responses were highly different. News coverage was primarily determined by news features, yet audiences cared only about big stars. Regular topics centered on the themes of celebrity news. The celebrity-by-topic network was topic-driven rather than human-driven, demonstrating the nature of the celebrity industry as an embodiment of capitalist society.
Under the bridge in Tehran: Addiction, Poverty and Capital
Authors: Ghiabi Maziyar
Published: August 2018

The article provides an ethnographic study of the lives of the ‘dangerous class’ of drug users based on fieldwork carried out among different drug using ‘communities’ in Tehran between 2012 and 2016. The primary objective is to articulate the presence of this category within modern Iran, its uses and its abuses in relation to the political. What drives the narration is not only the account of this lumpen, plebeian group vis à vis the state, but also the way power has affected their agency, their capacity to be present in the city, and how capital/power and the dangerous/lumpen life come to terms, to conflict, and to the production of new situations which affect urban life.
Impact of religiosity and culture on salesperson job satisfaction and performance
Authors: Onyemah Vincent , Rouziès Dominique , Iacobucci Dawn
Published: August 2018

This research is a multinational study of the effect of religiosity on salespeople’s attitudes about their jobs, even after controlling for cross-cultural differences and the particular management practices in their sales organizations. We theorize moderator effects between religiosity and the salespeople’s traits and attitudes, as well as interactive effects between organizational factors and the cultures in which the firms are embedded. We test the effects of these joint culture and religiosity influences on multiple facets of job satisfaction and find support for our hypotheses. We also demonstrate financial consequences for both individual salespeople and their sales organizations. We test these effects in a survey of salespeople working in 38 countries operating in diverse industries.
Exploring cultural heterogeneity
Authors: Haj Youssef Moustafa Salman , Christodoulou Ioannis
Published: August 2018

Research on the degree of managerial discretion, or latitude of action, accorded to executives at the national level has primarily focused on the effect of intercultural variation in values on managerial discretion by assuming spatial homogeneity within countries. However, evidence in cross-cultural research indicates that cultural heterogeneity within countries can be as salient as or sometimes even more than inter-country variation. Thus, this study examines the extent to which intra-cultural variation affects the degree of discretion accorded to executives. The study tests the proposed relationships using fixed-effect regression analysis by measuring managerial discretion through survey responses of senior management consultants. It operationalizes intra-cultural variation by the standard deviation in societal members’ behaviour in terms of individualism, uncertainty tolerance and power distance. Results show that a strong relationship exists between intra-cultural variation and managerial discretion and that the direction of the relationship is negative. Executives operating in countries with high heterogeneity are subject to increased constraints from the national environment and, as such, are not able to take idiosyncratic or bold actions. Managerial discretion not only is a function of the central tendency of a society but depends on the homogeneity/heterogeneity in views innate therein. Using institutional, stakeholder and upper echelons theories, the study shows that greater intra-cultural variation negatively affects the degree of executive discretion. Thus, it provides a more nuanced understanding of such relationship and introduces a new national conceptualization that plays an important role in the strategic decision-making of business executives.
The Effects of Tears on Approach–Avoidance Tendencies in Observers
Authors: Gračanin Asmir , Krahmer Emiel , Rinck Mike , Vingerhoets Ad J. J. M.
Published: August 2018

Emotional tears have been proposed to represent a robust affiliative signal whose main function is to promote the willingness to help the crying individual. However, little is known about the psychological mechanisms at the basis of such responses. To investigate whether tears facilitate approach relative to avoidance tendencies, we exposed participants ( N = 77) to pictures of faces with and without visible tears, in two different approach–avoidance tasks. In the first task, participants were instructed to either move toward tearful faces and away from nontearful faces, or the other way around, by using a joystick. In the second task, participants made approaching or avoiding responses to tearful and nontearful faces by pressing buttons. The results suggest that tears facilitate behavior that reduces the distance between the observer and the crying person. However, while tears appear to promote approach relative to avoidance behavior, the current findings do not allow firm conclusions about whether tears specifically facilitate approach or rather block avoidance tendencies in observers, or whether they possibly have both effects. Findings are discussed in the context of tears’ ability to act as a prosocial stimulus that signals non-aggressive intentions, as well as in the context of the functional goals that predispose humans to approach or avoid crying individuals.
Air-Mobile Stroke Unit for access to stroke treatment in rural regions
Authors: Walter Silke , Zhao Henry , Easton Damien , Bil Cees , Sauer Jonas , Liu Yang , Lesmeister Martin , Grunwald Iris Q , Donnan Geoffrey A , Davis Stephen M , Fassbender Klaus
Published: August 2018

Background

In recent years, important progress has been made in effective stroke treatment, however, patients living in rural and remote areas have nil or very limited access to timely reperfusion therapies.

Aims

Novel systems of care to overcome the detrimental treatment gap for stroke patients living in rural and remote regions need to be developed.

Summary of review

A possible solution to the treatment disparity between stroke patients living in metropolitan and rural areas may involve the use of specially designed aircrafts equipped with the ability to diagnose and treat acute stroke at remote emergency sites. We describe technical solutions for an Air-Mobile Stroke Unit (Air-MSU) concept, where an aircraft is customized with the ability to perform multimodal computed tomography, in addition to onboard laboratory equipment and telemedicine connection. The Air-MSU is envisioned not only to allow intravenous thrombolysis in the field but also to allow prehospital triage to a comprehensive stroke center through use of contrast intracerebral vascular imaging. Several options for the Air-MSU approach are described, and issues regarding the potential medical benefit, optimal operating environment, technical realization, and integration in pre-existing solutions (e.g., flying doctor service) are addressed.

Conclusion

The Air-MSU may represent a novel tool to reduce treatment disparity for stroke patients in rural and remote areas. However, this approach requires further implementation research to determine the overall benefit to these communities.
Five-year results after collagenase treatment of Dupuytren disease
Authors: Werlinrud Jens C. , Hansen Karina L. , Larsen Søren , Lauritsen Jens
Published: August 2018

This study assesses the joint-specific sustained effect of collagenase clostridium histolyticum treatment of Dupuytren disease over a 5-year follow-up period. The study includes 107 consecutive treatments in patients with extension deficits greater than 20° affecting the metacarpophalangeal or proximal interphalangeal joints. Success was defined as no follow-up treatment due to relapse or maintained extension deficit less than 20°. The 5-year estimate of no follow-up treatment was 79% (95% CI: 64–88) for metacarpophalangeal and 49% (95% CI: 26–69) for proximal interphalangeal joints, which was a significant difference (log-rank test, p = 0.0044). For those who did not undergo re-treatment, a non-significant relapse was found for metacarpophalangeal joints and a 65% (34°, 95% CI: 24–46) relapse for proximal interphalangeal joints. We conclude that treating metacarpophalangeal joints with collagenase clostridium histolyticum is effective with acceptable recurrence rates. However, when treating proximal interphalangeal joints with collagenase clostridium histolyticum, patients should be informed of the high risk of recurrence and the greater chance of need for further treatment.

Level of evidence: II
Distress in My Chest: The Approach to a Student Presenting With “Chest Pain”
Authors: Gay Timothy , Olympia Robert P.
Published: August 2018

Occasionally, students present with chest pain in the school setting. Therefore, it is important to develop a differential diagnosis for chest pain, to initiate stabilization of the student with life-threatening symptoms, and to triage these students to an appropriate level of care (back to the classroom, home with their guardian with follow up at their primary healthcare provider’s office, or directly to the closest emergency department via emergency medical services). This article describes the initial assessment and management of a student presenting with chest pain.
Letters to the Editor: Refractory SAPHO syndrome with positive Th17-related pathway immunohistochemistry staining
Authors: Zhang Shuo , Li Chen , Shi Xiaohua , Xu Wenrui , Gong Mengchun , Zhang Wen , Zhang Shuyang
Published: August 2018

A 34-year-old female was presented with left clavicle mass, recurrent ostalgia, and vesiculo-pustular rash in hands and feet. During 9 years of disease duration, she received first- and second-line therapies, however, with poor respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. Upon arrival, the physical examination revealed right clavicle swollen with severe tenderness and poor lumbar motility. Laboratory evaluation revealed elevated inflammatory indicators and imaging examinations revealed multiple bone erosion and sclerosis. The immunohistochemical staining of the bone biopsy presented the elevation of the Th17-related cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17, and IL-23, and negative expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-β and receptor activator NK-κB ligand (RANKL). The immunohistochemical staining of target tissue revealed possible physiologic pathway and potential treatment target. Th17-related pathway might function as the central pathway of pathophysiologic process in SAPHO syndrome.