bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intervention in Older Urban-Dwelling Veterans With Dysmobility: Protocol for a Pilot Feasibility Clinical Trial (Preprint)
Authors: Robbins Ronna N , Serra Monica C , Kilpela Lisa S , Parker Elizabeth A , Jiwani Rozmin , Addison Odessa
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

The majority of older veterans do not meet the minimum healthy diet or physical activity recommendations despite known benefits. Identifying ways to increase adherence to programs that improve dietary quality and physical activity may reduce the risk of disability in older veterans. Peer-based interventions may be one method for facilitating lasting behavior change because peers often share a common culture and knowledge regarding problems their community experiences.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to develop, pilot, and evaluate a theory-driven, 12-week, peer-led nutrition and exercise intervention that targets older veterans with dysmobility and assess its feasibility in 2 diverse urban areas with underrepresented populations.

METHODS

Community-dwelling veterans aged >65 years with self-reported dysmobility (defined as difficulty in at least 1 of the following: walking quickly across a street, walking a mile, ascending a flight of stairs, rising from a chair without the use of arms, or a fear of falling) from 2 Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinic Centers (Baltimore, Maryland, and San Antonio, Texas) will be eligible to participate. First, this study will use validated mixed methods via web-based surveys (n=50 per site) to assess potential physical, social or environmental, and behavioral or lifestyle barriers that affect physical activity and dietary quality (phase 1). Next, we will use knowledge gained from these assessments and feedback from a focus group (n=10 per site) to adapt established Department of Veterans Affairs diet and exercise program materials to develop peer-led intervention materials and train peer leaders (n=3 per site). Finally, we will determine the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention to assess reach (recruitment and retention), adoption (satisfaction, perceived utility, attendance, and engagement), and implementation (fidelity of intervention), as well as the estimated magnitude and potential impact on selected outcomes (ie, diet quality and mobility) in 20 older veterans with dysmobility (n=10 per site).

RESULTS

The study was funded on January 1, 2022, with a projected data collection period of June 1, 2022, to December 31, 2023.

CONCLUSIONS

This study offers an innovative approach to identifying strategies that increase long-term adherence to lifestyle modification programs that improve dietary quality and physical activity in older veterans with dysmobility.

CLINICALTRIAL

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04994938; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04994938

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT

PRR1-10.2196/39192
Co-Constructing a Community-Based Telemedicine Program for People With Opioid Use Disorder During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned and Implications for Future Service Delivery (Preprint)
Authors: Høj Stine Bordier , de Montigny Catherine , Chougar Sofiane , Léandre Robert , Beauchemin-Nadeau Marie-Ève , Boyer-Legault Geneviève , Goyette Amélie , Lamont Sara-Kim , Bruneau Julie
Published: May 2022

UNSTRUCTURED

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented expansion of telemedicine, including in the delivery of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) for people with opioid use disorder (OUD). However, many people with OUD lack the technological resources necessary for remote care, have complex needs, and are underserved, with precarious access to mainstream services. To address the needs of these individuals, we devised a unique program to deliver OAT via telemedicine with the support of community outreach workers in Montreal (Quebec, Canada). The program was co-constructed by the service de médecine des toxicomanies of the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM-SMT)—a hospital-based addiction medicine service—and CACTUS Montréal—a community-based harm reduction organization known and trusted by its clientele. All procedures were jointly developed to enable flexible and rapid appointment scheduling. CACTUS Montréal workers promoted the program, facilitated private on-site telemedicine connections to the CHUM-SMT, accompanied patients during web-based appointments if requested, and provided ongoing holistic support and follow-up. The CHUM-SMT offered individualized OAT regimens and other health services as needed. Overall, our experience as clinicians and community-based workers intimately involved in establishing and running this initiative suggests that participants found it to be convenient, nonjudgmental, and responsive to their needs, and that the implication of CACTUS Montréal was highly valued and integral to patient engagement and retention. Beyond the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, similar programs may present a flexible and accessible means to deliver alternative treatment options for people with OUD disengaged from traditional care, bridge gaps between communities and health providers, and improve access to care in rural or remote settings.
Collective Action for Wellness in the Workplace: Protocol for a Feasibility Study (Preprint)
Authors: Thai Yi Chiann , Watterson Jessica , Ramadas Amutha , McCaffrey Tracy , Chandrasekara Dharshani , Koh Geok May , Choi Tammie , Malini Hema , Xie Jue , Oliver Patrick , Md Zain Anuar Zaini
Published: May 2022

BACKGROUND

Chronic diseases and the associated risk factors are preventable with lifestyle changes such as eating a healthier diet and being more physically active. In Malaysia, the prevalence of chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart diseases, has risen in 2019. In the present study, we explore the potential of using a digital wellness intervention to promote socially-driven health knowledge and practices in the workplace in Malaysia. It is hypothesized that the co-designed intervention, informed by the social cognitive theory, social impact theory, and social influence theory, will lead to increases in physical activity and healthier diets among the employees.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to co-design and assess the feasibility of a socially-driven digital health intervention to promote healthy behaviour and prevent chronic diseases in a workplace in Malaysia.

METHODS

This study involves two phases: (i) identifying the barriers and facilitators to healthy behaviours at work and co-designing the intervention with the employees, (ii) implementing and evaluating the intervention’s feasibility. Phase I will involve qualitative data collection and analysis through semi-structured, in-depth interviews and co-design group sessions with the employees, while Phase II will involve quantitative measurements of health behaviours through accelerometers and questionnaires. We aim to recruit 100 employees aged 18 and above who own and use mobile devices. Participants will be excluded if they take extended leave for more than 2 weeks or are pregnant or lactating.

RESULTS

This study was funded in June 2021. As of 7 January 2022, we have obtained ethics approval from the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee. Study recruitment for Phase One is scheduled to begin in March 2022. The study design and procedures will be included in the following study results publication.

CONCLUSIONS

The study will help us to better understand the mechanisms through which digital technologies can promote socially-driven health knowledge and behaviours. This research will also result in a scalable wellness intervention that could be further tailored and expanded to other employers and social groups across the region.
Turner’s Frontier Doctrine and Its Impact on American Politics
Authors: Jiang Wenyu , Mao Yixin
Published: May 2022

Frederick Jackson Turner, a prominent American historian of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, published The Significance of the Frontier in American History in 1893, which received widespread attention after its publication, creating the Frontier School, which dominated American history for more than four decades. Turner’s “frontier doctrine” was informed by an expansionist ideology that profoundly influenced the governing philosophy of American dignitaries and the expansionist policies pursued by the United States.
A New Approach to Recycling PET Bottles by Blending Polyethylene- Terephthalate and HDPE Using Chemical Reactions in One Step Process
Authors: Seileem Ahmed Galal , A.A. Yehia, , Shafik Amira Labib
Published: May 2022

The overall goal of this study is to propose a new approach to simplify the recycling process for producing high quality material from the waste of beverage bottles and other sources at a lower cost by using mechanical recycling and chemical reactions inside injection molding machines in a one-step process. The water and soft drink bottles are made of PET material, while the caps are made mainly of HDPE. The blends of PET and HDPE are incompatible. The resulted material has poor mechanical properties due to the immiscibility of polymer blend components, phase separation, and lack of interfacial adhesion. (HDPE-g-MA) was found to be an excellent reactive compatibilizer for the PET/HDPE blend. For the purpose of investigating the mechanical and morphological properties in this study, blends of rPET and virgin HDPE in weight compositions of 80/20, and 60/40 were modified with concentrations of 2 and 5 wt percent of (HDPE-g-MA). The addition of 4,4-Methylenebis (phenyl isocyanate) and compatiblizer increased the viscosity and molecular weight of the blends while also improving miscibility and interaction bonds between molecules, resulting in a significant reduction in interfacial tension and improved phase dispersion and adhesion via interpenetration and entanglements at the interface. The rPET segments have been grafted onto HDPE backbone chains. Since the crystallinity of HDPE is low, the crystallinity and crystallization temperature of rPET in the blends were reduced. The mechanical characteristics were improved by achieving uniform phase morphology. The main finding of this study is that the immiscible rPET/HDPE materials can be treated and processed in a single step inside the injection molding process. The one-step process is sufficient because it shows high improvement in the mechanical characteristics, while the two-step process, namely the extrusion followed by injection molding, improves fewer mechanical characteristics and is more expensive.
Analysis on 8 × 8 diallel crosses of Cucumber (Cucumissativus L.) for potential yield improvement at Can Tho, VietNam
Authors: Lang Nguyen Thi , Phuong Le Hoang , Khang Le Minh , Hieu Bui Chi , Phuoc Nguyen Trong
Published: May 2022

Combining ability analysis provides useful information for the selection of parents, in the breeding program of cucumber at Can tho, VietNam, as well as information related to the nature and extent of the gene activities involved. Cucumberimprovement involves strategies to enhance yieldpotential and quality of cucumber. Targeting the improvement of new varieties for breeding in cucumber plants, combining abilities and genetic parameters for 12 traits estimated from the full diallel analysis technique 8×8. The results showed that the differences due to general combining ability (GCA) and specific combining ability (SCA) capabilities are significant for most of these important traits.It indicates the importance of both plus- and non-plus gene activity. GCA variances are more intense than SCA variances for all hybrid materials studied showing the advantages of linear effects in their genetics. P1 (PhungTuong) appears as the best general combination for early flowers; P3 (MaLai) has a high primary branch number; P3(MaLai);P4 (TL 00L);P5(TayNinh) P6( BinhPhu) and P7(TQ) have the best combining ability for use in the breeding program to improve the number of fruits per plant. P4 (TL 00L) gives the length of the fruits. The SCA effect as well as the reciprocal effect also have implications for most important combinations in different hybrid combinations such as: the crossing P1xP6, P2xP3, P2xP4,P2xP5 and P2xP7for fruit weight/plant. The length of the fruit forP1x P6 and P2 x P7,these selected crossing were associated with the agronomic performance of cucumber varieties in future.
COVID-19 complications in males and females: recent developments
Authors: Chaturvedi Rahul , Lui Briana , Aaronson Jamie A , White Robert S , Samuels Jon D
Published: May 2022

Aim:
To provide a comprehensive understanding of the varying effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection based on sex.
Methods:
A PubMed search of 470 primary articles was performed, with inclusion based on relevance (sex differences discussed in the target COVID population) and redundancy. PubMed was queried based on title for the keywords “SEX” and “COVID” or “SARS” between 2020 and 2022.
Results:
For COVID-19, males have increased risk for infectivity and intensive care unit admission and worse overall outcomes compared with females. Genetic predispositions, sex hormones, immune system responses and non-biological causes all contribute to the disparity in COVID-19 responses between the sexes. COVID-19 sex-related determinants of morbidity and mortality remain unclear.
Conclusions:
Male sex is a risk factor for several overall worse outcomes related to COVID-19. Investigating the sex impact of COVID-19 is an important part of understanding the behavior of the disease. Future work is needed to further explore these relationships and optimize the management of COVID-19 patients based on sex.
Reference Ranges Of Haematological Parameter Concentrations Of Young Adult Males In Khartoum State.
Authors: Yaqoob Mustafa Hussein , Daffa Al Nisreen , Mohamed Bdalla , Badi AndRehab
Published: May 2022

Reference values of haematological parameters such as red blood cells count & haemoglobin (Hb)concentration of Sudanese population is not determined. The aim of this study is to determine the reference ranges of red blood cells count, haemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, MCV, MCH, MCHC and RDW among Sudanese young adult males and compare them to international and regional reference intervals used in practice. This gives an insight towards further setting reference values to Sudanese population in the future. This is a cross sectional study conducted in Khartoum state, Sudan. About 200 male students from three higher educational institutes were selected by a convenient sampling method. The age of study participant was 18 - 25 year. Venous blood samples were collected in EDTAK3 containers for the blood test. RBC’s count, Haemoglobin concentration, Haematocrit, Hb, MCV, RDW were measured for each participant. IBM.SPSS version 21 statistical software was used for data analysis, P< 0.05 was assumed as significant and 95% confidence level was accepted. The results were displayed as mean, standard deviation (SD) and range for each haematological parameter. RBCs 5.29±.41 cell1012/L (4.45 – 6.13), haemoglobin concentration 15.1±1.06 g/dl (12.5 – 17.49), haematocrit 45.94±3.1 % (40.1 – 53.19), MCV 86.92±4.33 fl (77.81 – 95.79), MCH 28.58±1.92 pg (23.72 – 32.29), MCHC 32.9±1.29 g/dl (29.41 – 34.89), RDW-SD 44.86±3.57 fl (38.8 – 52.69) and RDW-CV 13.68±1 % (12 – 15.69). All parameters compared to American ones revealed statistically significant differences. All measured parameters were significantly different from parameters of other African populations. Worldwide used reference intervals are inapplicable in Sudan as haematological parameters showed statistically significant variations.
Circadian Disruption of Melatonin among Night Shift Workers and Its Effect on Glycemic Variability
Authors: Shanthi B. , Chandrika A. Mary
Published: May 2022

Melatonin is a pineal gland secreted hormone controlling sleep wakefullness. Light is a stimulus and hence this hormone exhibits circadian rhythm. Melatonin has pleiotropic effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolisms. Glycemic variability is defined as variations in interstitial glucose levels measured every 15 seconds using a sensor-based technique. It is the result of constant carbohydrate metabolism and insulin action. Melatonin also has rhythms that are more akin to a nocturnal hormone. It affects glycemic variability. Variability is associated with a very high cardiac risk factor. Melatonin rhythm may be disrupted in night shift workers as a result of light exposure during the night, with implications for insulin secretion and glycemic variability. Correlation provides greater insight into the rhythmic hormonal activity and altered glucose homeostasis that predispose to diabetes, and thus this study was done to establish the correlation. This study was done to evaluate the effect of melatonin levels on altering glycemic control among night shift workers. This case control study included 40night shift workers both male and female (cases) aged 25-35years and 40 healthy controls of same age group. Blood samples for melatonin estimation were collected at 9PM and 6AM (after night shift work) by venepuncture and serum separated. Serum melatonin levels were estimated by ELISA method. Fasting and post prandial blood glucose were estimated by GOD-POD method and glycemic variability analyzed by Abbott biosensors. Data was analyzed using SPSS package. Night shift workers were found to have decreased melatonin levels and altered blood glucose levels compared to the control group. Melatonin has a negative influence on glycemic variability. This fact was evidenced in our study. Hence this study will help us to understand and intervene.
Fish Oil Ameliorates Doxorubicin Induced Memory Impairment in Wistar Rats
Authors: Marri Jalaiah , Sharma Jaya , Sharma Pankaj
Published: May 2022

According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the leading cause of death in 112 countries under the age of 70 in 2019. Cognitive impairment is a common chemotherapeutic drug side effect that affects 15-80 % of cancer patients. These cognitive changes persist for one or two years following chemotherapy and sometimes persist for life time. Due to impaired cognitive function, survivors find utmost difficulty to perform day to day activities and lose their independency which has a negative impact on standard of living (SOL). The Antineoplastic drug doxorubicin has been associated with severe neurotoxicity, which manifests as a loss of cognitive abilities, most likely due to oxidative stress in the brain. Naturally occurring Omega-3 fatty acids have potential health benefits. They are abundant in fish oil. Fish oil is used as dietary supplement and is well known for anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidaemia, cardio protective, and antioxidant and neuro protective functions. The current study explored to investigate Fish oil potential neuro protection and memory-improving advantages against Doxorubicin-induced cognitive and neurobiological impairments. The preventive effect of Fish oil against doxorubicin-induced memory impairments in rats was evaluated by using a novel object recognition task and the Morris water maze test. Doxorubicin-induced memory impairment was considerably prevented by fish oil treatment (50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg). The levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and acetyl cholinesterase activity were dramatically reduced with both dosages of Fish oil. Furthermore, Fish oil protected the frontal cortex and hippocampus parts of the brain from doxorubicin-induced oxidative and inflammatory damages. These findings suggest that Fish oil may be a promising adjuvant therapeutic option for decreasing doxorubicin-related side effects
Modeling COVID-19 spread in the Russian Federation using global VAR approach
Authors:   RANEPA, Zubarev Andrei ,   Moscow, Russian Federation, Kirillova Maria ,   RANEPA; Moscow, Russian Federation
Published: May 2022

The aim of this study is to analyse the spread of COVID‐19 in Russia taking into account various connections between regions and the effectiveness of isolation strategies using global vector autoregression (GVAR). We use regional data on new cases of coronavirus, self‐isolation index, Google trends index reflecting social awareness of pandemic and passenger turnover in buses, trains and planes. It was found that the number of new COVID‐19 cases reacts to Moscow outbreak shock significantly in most regions. During the second wave, the speed of reaction was faster but of a smaller size. The forecasts of new cases dynamics during the rising of the second wave turn out to be rather close to the actual dynamics in many regions. More rigorous social distancing strategy in Moscow reduced the number of cases in some regions but at the same time raised that number in some others.
Value of statistical life in Russia: Estimates based on panel microdata for 2010–2020
Authors:   Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russian Federation, Zubova Ekaterina ,   Yale University, USA
Published: May 2022

The novelty of this research is that there are provided first estimates of the value of statistical life in Russia, considering wage differential for occupational risks, based on the analysis of panel data (2010–2020). The resulting estimates of VSL in Russia adjusted for two‐way effects are in the range of 231.7 and 288.3 mln rubles that are considerably lower than ones obtained with pooled regression (397 mln) and between‐estimator (420.6 mln) and comparable with corresponding values for the USA (11.4–11.6 mln US dollars).
Delays in Children’s Preventive Health Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Nguyen Kimberley H. , Nguyen Kimchi , Lekshmi Devika , Corlin Laura , Niska Richard W.
Published: May 2022

Background and Objectives: Stay-at-home orders, social isolation recommendations, and fear of COVID-19 exposure have led to delays in children’s preventive health services during the pandemic. Delays can lead to missed opportunities for early screening and detection of health problems, and increased risks for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Understanding prevalence of and reasons for missed, delayed, or skipped preventive health services is important for developing strategies to achieve rapid catch-up of essential health services.
Methods: Using the Household Pulse Survey (n=37,064), a large, nationally-representative household survey fielded from April 14 to May 10, 2021, we examined prevalence of households with children who have missed, delayed, or skipped preventive health services, and factors associated with and reasons contributing to missed, delayed, or skipped preventive health services.
Results: About one-quarter of parents had children who missed, delayed, or skipped preventive check-ups in the past year. Delays in children’s preventive health services were more common among respondents with higher education, households with greater numbers of children, and children who learned remotely or did not participate in formal education. Main reasons attributed to delayed preventive health services were limited appointments at health providers’ offices (42.9%), concern about COVID-19 exposure at health providers’ offices (42.2%), and closed health providers’ offices due to the pandemic (29.0%).
Conclusions: Physician office closures and concern about COVID-19 exposure resulted in over one-quarter of parents delaying preventive services for their children since the pandemic began. Coordinated efforts are needed to achieve rapid catch-up of preventive services and routine vaccines.
The impact of type 2 immunity and allergic diseases in atherosclerosis
Authors: Fernández-Gallego Nieves , Castillo-González Raquel , Méndez-Barbero Nerea , Sanz Celia López , Obeso David , Villaseñor Alma , Escribese Maria , López-Melgar Beatriz , Salamanca Jorge , Benedicto-Buendía Amparo , Jiménez-Borreguero Luis Jesús , Ibañez Borja , Sastre Joaquin , Belver Maria , Vega Francisco , Blanco Carlos , Hernández Domingo Barber , Sánchez-Madrid Francisco , Fuente Hortensia de la , Martín Pilar , Esteban Vanesa , Jimenez-Saiz Rodrigo
Published: May 2022

Allergic diseases are allergen-induced immunological disorders
characterized by the development of type 2 immunity and IgE responses.
The prevalence of allergic diseases has been on the rise alike
cardiovascular disease (CVD), which affects arteries of different organs
such as the heart, the kidney and the brain. The underlying cause of CVD
is often atherosclerosis, a disease distinguished by endothelial
dysfunction, fibrofatty material accumulation in the intima of the
artery wall, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and Th1 inflammation. The
opposed T-cell identity of allergy and atherosclerosis implies an
atheroprotective role for Th2 cells by counteracting Th1 responses. Yet,
the clinical association between allergic disease and CVD argues against
it. Within, we review different phases of allergic pathology, basic
immunological mechanisms of atherosclerosis and the clinical association
between allergic diseases (particularly asthma, atopic dermatitis,
allergic rhinitis and food allergy) and CVD. Then, we discuss
atherogenic mechanisms of type 2 immunity and allergic inflammation
including acute allergic reactions (IgE, IgG1, mast cells, macrophages
and allergic mediators such as vasoactive components, growth factors and
those derived from the complement, contact and coagulation systems) and
late phase inflammation (Th2 cells, eosinophils, type 2 innate-like
lymphoid cells, alarmins, IL-4, IL-5, IL-9, IL-13 and IL-17).
Study on fatigue fracture mechanism of 7075 Aluminum alloy clinching joint
Authors: Zhang Yue , Lu Yan , Peng Ruitao , Xu Honghe , Zhu Linwei , Wang Tao
Published: May 2022

Lightweight aluminum alloys are widely used in automotive structural
parts, and clinching technology is one of the promising techniques for
joining aluminum alloys. Since joint failure is mainly caused by fatigue
failure, the fatigue properties of the clinched joints directly affect
the reliability and safety of the connected specimens. Therefore, the
static mechanical and fatigue properties of the Al7075 aluminum alloy
single-lap clinched joints were studied using the static strength test
and tensile-tensile fatigue test. The F-N curves of the joints were
fitted using the straight-line fitting method and the three-parameter
power function method. The fractured samples and wear scars were
analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an energy dispersive
spectroscopic technique (EDS). The results indicated that the neck of
the clinched joint and the upper sheet near the joint had maximum
fatigue fracture, and the fretting wear debris was mainly composed of
alumina and metallic aluminum. The third type of fretting wear mode,
i.e., inter-sheet of upper fretting wear mode, was found.
An incidentally discovered lacunar image of the mandible: diagnostic orientation
Authors: Kammoun Rym , Chaabani Imen , ALaya Touhami Ben
Published: May 2022

Stafne bone cavity belongs to the class of pseudocysts as a mandibular
radiolucency image with well-defined borders. It is asymptomatic and
incidentally discovered. CT scan is the best examination to identify
characteristics and content of this image. This study aimed to highlight
these radiological features to establish the correct diagnosis
Atypical Pulmonary Carcinoid Tumor Encapsulated in a Staphylococcus aureus Infection
Authors: Lee Stanley , L Jessica Hata , Thompson Matthew , E Mary Fallat , M Kevin Riggle , Bickel Scott
Published: May 2022

To the editor: We present a 13-year-old boy with mild persistent asthma
and obstructive sleep apnea who initially presented with fever, dyspnea,
cough, night sweats and myalgia for 4 days. He reported having an
intermittent “hacking cough” for years. Physical examination was
significant for diffuse crackles in the right lung base, decreased
breath sounds and mild digital clubbing. Initial chest x-ray (CXR)
revealed right middle lobe (RML) and right lower lobe (RLL) opacities
with right pleural effusion interpreted and treated as community
acquired pneumonia. He was followed as an outpatient by his pediatrician
and referred to our pediatric pulmonology clinic months later for
persistent RLL atelectasis and chronic cough. He was well appearing with
similar physical examination findings as described earlier. Laboratory
tests including sweat chloride, cystic fibrosis genetic panel,
immunoglobulin levels, complement, pneumococcal and tetanus titers were
normal.
Obturator hernia: A diagnostic challenge
Authors: Chaka Amina , kellil tarek , Tormane Mohamed Amine , Bouchrika Amal , Noomen Faouzi , Zouari Khadija
Published: May 2022

An obturator hernia is a rare condition, but important cause of bowel
obstruction we reported the case of a 87-year-old woman complaining of a
lower right abdominal pain and vomiting due to an obturator hernia
diagnosed by a CT scan and treated by an open surgical procedure
Cervical Endometriosis Cyst Complicated with HPV Infection and CIN I:A Case and Review of Literature
Authors: Wang Mingdan , Xu Tongtong , Li Yue , Shi Chen , Jiang Lili , Liu Kuiran
Published: May 2022

Asymptomatic and perimenopausal women with cervical endometriosis can
expect treatment; Patients with milder symptoms are usually managed
conservatively with medications, and those with large lesions or
significant clinical symptoms require surgery, which is curative in the
vast majority of cases postoperatively. Cervical endometriosis is
associated with HPV infection and cervical lesions, but further research
is still needed to determine their relationship and mechanism.
Can AI Augmented Fetal Monitoring Prevent Intrapartum Stillbirth and Neonatal Death in a Low-Income Setting?
Authors: Chiweza Chikondi , Iwuh Ibe , Hasan Abida , Malata Address , EDITOR) Michael Belfort (FETAL MEDICINE ISSUE , Wilkinson Jeffrey
Published: May 2022

Intrapartum stillbirths and early neonatal deaths remain stubbornly high
in low income countries. Fetal monitoring in labour can reduce these
poor outcomes, but limited progress is being achieved in these settings.
Intermittent auscultation and continuous electronic fetal monitoring
(CEFM) can both be employed to monitor a fetus during labour. There are
challenges and limitations with both modalities. We used AI augmented
fetal monitoring in a hospital in Malawi and demonstrated substantial
reductions in both intrapartum stillbirths and early neonatal deaths
with a small increase in the cesarean delivery rate. AI-CEFM should be
studied further to achieve better perinatal outcomes.
The Laplacians, Kirchhoff index and complexity of linear Möbius and cylinder octagonal-quadrilateral networks
Authors: Liu Jia-bao , Fang Lu-Lu , Zheng Qian , Peng Xin-Bei
Published: May 2022

Spectrum graph theory not only facilitate comprehensively reflflect the
topological structure and dynamic characteristics of networks, but also
offer signifificant and noteworthy applications in theoretical
chemistry, network science and other fifields. Let Ln (8, 4) represent a
linear octagonal-quadrilateral network, consisting of n eight-member
ring and n four-member ring. The M¨obius graph Qn(8, 4) is constructed
by reverse identifying the opposite edges, whereas cylinder graph Q’n
(8, 4) identififies the opposite edges by order. In this paper, the
explicit formulas of Kirchhoffff indices and complexity of Qn(8, 4) and
Q‘n (8, 4) are demonstrated by Laplacian characteristic polynomials
according to decomposition theorem and Vieta’s theorem. In surprise, the
Kirchhoffff index of Qn(8, 4)(Q’n (8, 4)) is approximately one-third
half of its Wiener index as n → ∞.
Paradise Lost: The Providence of Style
Authors: Rajan B.
Published: May 2022

If we approach the language-tactics of Paradise Lost from the inside rather than externally, we see that these tactics are not only the best but perhaps the only possible means of bringing the poem into imaginative life. The manner in which the language of the poem is held away from nature enables it to convey the quality of events that are beyond and prior to nature. Distancing, however, is not disconnection; through the relief of similes and other devices the language maintains its relationship with the everyday. Further, the verse paragraph, with its contention between metrical and grammatical forces, and the syntax, with its delayed resolutions, microcosmically enact the drama of the poem in the drama of the language. The simultaneous sense of both pattern and process is achieved through the backward and forward links of imagery and the manner in which the moment of local life is repeatedly made to open into the whole poem. The style may be formally that of secondary epic; but it satisfies with true creative fidelity the demands of both architectural and organic decorum.
“Paradise Regained”: Inner Ritual
Authors: Cope Jackson I.
Published: May 2022

Milton's defense of blank verse was directed in part at Dryden's rejection of it, and Dryden was influenced by the argument in his later drama. But Milton's interest in the heroic drama went beyond versification. Satan operates at one level to satirize successfully the basic premise of heroic drama: that superhuman protagonists can act significantly in a context where love and honor are polarities emptied of the limiting human interplay which gives either meaning. Again Dryden may have listened to Milton, because the development of Almanzor is away from satanic activism toward patience under providence, from assertion of his own will to acceptance of God's. The culmination of this interwoven series of literary events is Paradise Regained, where the pattern which Dryden presented dramatically is reenacted in a ritualistic context appropriate to the divine, supra-historical point of view which Milton evokes in a number of ways.
Milton's Passionate Epic
Authors: Fixler Michael
Published: May 2022

Paradise Lost not only sets out to justify God's ways to men, but being an act of worship was intended to celebrate the mystery of God's Providence. As a unique devotional offering the work identifies poetry with prayer while it discriminates sacramentally two kinds of readers: general ones, and the “fit audience... though few.” For Milton the prototype of such worship was Apocalyptic, the worship of the Lamb in Revelation, and the instrument by which such worship approached the perfection of ultimate saintly apotheosis was the fiery spirit of prayer which was identifiable with the highest reach of the poetic furors. On this basis it is possible to recognize a greatly enlarged meaning in the allusiveness of the invocation to Book VII.
Serpent Error: “Paradise Lost” X, 216–18
Authors: Brisman Leslie
Published: May 2022

Milton's simile in Paradise Lost X, 218 carries the reader through a chain of associations at first sight uncomfortable but ultimately redemptive. The similes frequently recapitulate the pattern of the fall, and references to snakes in particular distinguish literal from spiritual meanings. Here Milton echoes the Bible and Ovid in a way that makes the reader s acceptance of allusion an acceptance of grace and the pattern of God's ways. The crucial word is “or.” With it the reader turns from one explanation to another, a miniature of the Christian turn from a death of the old self to a rebirth in both personal and historical terms. In granting the redemptive connotation of the words, “or as the Snake with youthful Coat repaid,” the reader participates in the act of grace that is the repaying of the snake, or, more immediately, the clothing of the first parents. Such an act of participation is characteristic and essential to the experience of reading Paradise Lost.
Retributive Justice in “Lycidas”: The Two-Handed Engine
Authors: Swaim Kathleen M.
Published: May 2022

In the image of Lycidas 130 Milton conflates “th’ abhorred shears” of Atropos and St. Peter's two keys. Two-handed is ambiguous, held with two hands or composed of two portions. Engine covers both keys and shears, and perhaps also sheep-hook. The fateful shears invoke the ritual harvest of “the shearers feast” (117). “Blind Fury” similarly conflates a Fury and Fate (Atropos). The ambiguity of image and phrasing in “two-handed engine” accommodates a combination of pagan and Christian instruments of final justice, as so much of Lycidas’ thought and imagery interweaves humanistic and Christian material, especially pastoral, while building toward a new revelation of triumphant Christian truth. Structurally, the engine image concludes the second movement of Lycidas with emphasis on punishment imposed from above according to human deserts, as the first movement ends with emphasis on reward (“meed”) imposed, and as the third ends with Grace that uplifts beyond human deserts.
Vocation and Spiritual Renovation in “Samson Agonistes”
Authors: Hill John S.
Published: May 2022

Samson Agonistes deals with the spiritual education of a Christian “hero” and his development from a self-motivated agent operating on what he presumes to be the will of God to a humbled instrument of that divine will. The real meaning of Samson's regeneration is seen in his resolution of the tension between prophecy (he is God's chosen champion) and fact (he is a blind Philistian bondslave). As the poem opens, Samson is guilty of three sins—pride, presumption, doubt—which obscure his divinely ordained vocation. In the course of the poem, Samson learns that humility, patience, and faith are necessary to his divine mission. These three virtues are the spiritual antidotes to the three sins of which he has been guilty, and enable Samson to be readmitted to the active service of his God. “True experience” and an understanding of God's ways to men are achieved by Samson in the first four movements of the poem (lines 1–1440); the fifth and final movement (lines 1441–1758) educates Manoa, the Chorus, and the reader in these same virtues.
Samson's Catharsis
Authors: Hawkins Sherman H.
Published: May 2022

In Paradise Lost, Michael shows Adam future history in a series of dramatic scenes, recalling Milton's view of Revelation as a tragic drama. Adam, the audience, undergoes a catharsis which turns his “terrour” and “compassion” to joy and wonder as the sin deriving from Adam himself yields to the redemption effected by Christ. In Samson this redemptive catharsis centers on the hero. Epigraph and epistle include both possible meanings of catharsis: purgation and lustratio (sacrifice and ablution). Both Donne and Bunyan make purgation the symbol of repentance. So Milton describes Samson's sin and punishment in dietary and medical terms. His cure uses like against like, passion to purge passion. Samson's grief, pity, and fear are raised only to be tempered and reduced in the three central acts by Manoa (grief), Dalila (pity), Harapha and the Officer (fear). But the efficacy of this purgation depends on a lustratio, the sacrifice of Christ, of which Samson's death is a dramatic and ritual mimesis. Samson's fall thus conforms him to the image of the first Adam; his sacrificial self-offering renews him in the image of the second, completing the pattern of human history and of Milton's three great poems.
“Paradise Lost”: “Tragical—Comical— Historical—Pastoral”
Authors: Rollin Roger B.
Published: May 2022

Paradise Lost is more than a highly dramatic poem: it is “an epic built of dramas,” an encyclopedic work composed of three distinct yet interlocking plots, each of which approximates the theoretic form of a different genre of Renaissance drama. That drama of which Satan is the protagonist fulfills Aristotle's chief criteria for tragedy, and, as a dramatic character, Satan conforms to Aristotelian, Renaissance, and modern conceptions of the tragic hero. Adam is less a tragic hero than the protagonist of a pastoral tragicomedy whose crisis is the tragic incident of the Fall, but whose climax—his reconciliation with his spouse and with his God—is essentially comedic. Framing both these plots is the drama of the Son of God, which parallels the theoretic form of the Renaissance history play until it trails off into mere narrative in Books XI–XII. A fourth dramatic form is the monodrama of Milton the narrator. Its subject is the composing of an epic poem and its tension arises out of the question, can the poet-hero, against great odds, complete his magnum opus? Mainly played out in the great invocations, this monodrama remains unfinished. Its climax must be supplied by the reader of Paradise Lost himself as he experiences the triumphantly theatrical conclusion of Book XII.
The Buoyant Mind in Milton's Eden
Authors: Collins Dan S.
Published: May 2022

Milton's depiction of the movement of mind in unfallen man is consistent with the universal ascent of all creation toward its perfect source described by Raphael in Book V of Paradise Lost. Although most critics interpret the prelapsarian action of the epic as a series of anticipations of the fall, Milton utilizes Eve's dream and Adam's comments on astronomy and the birth of his own consciousness, his search for a helpmeet, and his first experience of sexual attraction to demonstrate the mind's inherent buoyancy, in each episode rising further toward its angelic perfection by maintaining a willing dependence upon God's sustaining grace and exercising reason to discipline lesser faculties, particularly the imagination. The accessibility of the unfallen mind to material and spiritual evil does not imply inevitable acts of disobedience but instead provides opportunity for achieving self-mastery and participating in the continuing refinement of the divinely instituted order. The eventual reversal of this upward movement of mind occurs only after the intellectual sufficiency of mankind to prosper in Eden has been established. When it finally occurs, the fall (which originates in Adam's unwillingness to discipline his imagination and obey the dictates of his reason) happens abruptly and needlessly at the apex of a spiritual ascent, not gradually at die end of an inexorable descent into the world of matter.
The Plant of Fame in “Lycidas”
Authors: Riggs William G.
Published: May 2022

Phoebus’ speech in Lycidas is usually read as a thinly veiled Christian warning and consolation, but the Christian implication of Phoebus’ metaphorical plant of fame has not been recognized. Here, as elsewhere, Milton uses the metaphor of a plant which flowers “aloft” to describe the workings of grace, and his use is grounded in the theological conception of being ingrafted in Christ. This conception, as explained in The Christian Doctrine, emphasizes that the god of poetry is concerned primarily with the necessity of living deeds, rather than with the heavenly rewards envisioned in the final consolation. In response to the singer's depressed sense of the futility of human enterprise, Phoebus insists on human action. This reading helps place the emphasis of Lycidas on a living response to death. These lines are of a piece with the poem's remarkable close, wherein, by focusing on the elegist's act of singing, Milton suggests we see Lycidas finally as a living act of faith, a paradigm of Christian action.
"HIS UNCONTROLLABLE INTENT": DISCOVERY AS ACTION IN "SAMSON AGONISTES"
Authors: Grose Christopher
Published: May 2022

As suggested in An Apology and Paradise Lost, the conception of a "virtuous wisdom" uniting word with "event" provides the model for a Miltonic action that rejoins the two plots of Samson Agonistes. Milton's protagonist gains his identity during the work, through careful listening, dramatic imitation, and finally in the scrupulous substitution of a proper for an improper choral position on his assisting the Dagonalia. Where his countrymen refuse to articulate what the logic of this situation requires, Samson discovers the ability to complete the system of scruple binding them, and thence to frame, and act upon, the theory of a "dispensing" agency in death itself. He thus frees himself from the Chorus' "thoughts" and "vain reasonings," and so reverses a process that began when he "thought it lawful" to marry Dalila. The Messenger's confused report is faithful to his experience, and points squarely at the way providence works in the pre-Christian era. The work refuses to distinguish among the separate terms for divine guidance in lines 1545–48. Milton gives virtually the same name ("motions") to what turned Samson toward the woman at Timna, to what gets Samson offstage, and to what brings the Messenger on.
MILTON AND DIODATI: AN ESSAY IN PSYCHODYNAMIC MEANING
Authors: Shawcross John T.
Published: May 2022

A reading of Epitaphium Damonis implies a homoerotic relationship, with Diodati as the more dominantly "masculine" and Milton as the more recessively "feminine." An examination of letters and other poems, as well as what we know of Milton's biography, leads to the conclusion that Diodati and Milton had discussed male-female love and that Milton had resisted entanglement. But there was clearly some disruption in their relationship prior to the end of 1629, and during 1629–1630 Milton underwent an identity crisis. His works at this time and through 1637 evidence an unsuccessful attempt to develop heterosexual drives. The 1634 Comus and the alterations in the 1637 Comus reflect the changes in Milton's ideas of sexuality: his attitudes are more certain and less rigid by the end of 1637 than they were in 1629–1630 or 1634. The homoerotic attitude toward Diodati was dissipated, or at least repressed, by the rupture of their relationship and by sublimation. Further examination of letters, poems, and epigraphs indicates Diodati's homosexual nature and Milton's latent homosexualism, which was repressed consciously and subconsciously from becoming overt, except perhaps with Diodati. Accordingly new interpretations of the works examined emerge.
"PARADISE LOST" AND THE MYTH OF PROHIBITION
Authors: Lieb Michael
Published: May 2022

In accord with the J text of Genesis, Milton incorporates into Paradise Lost the mythic and nonrational elements implicit in the prohibition against eating the fruit. In so doing, he formulates a view of the prohibition that at once dismisses the prevailing rationalist interpretation based upon a covenant theology and embraces a nonrationalist outlook that has ties with something associated with a covenant theology. This nonrationalist perspective allows Milton to exploit the mythic propensities latent in the prohibition. It allows him to conceive of the prohibition as a taboo, an approach decidedly in keeping with his anthropological approach implicit in Christian Doctrine. Through this oudook, all that surrounds the prohibition in Paradise Lost has affinities with cultic phenomena well known to the Renaissance. Accordingly, Paradise Lost embodies a "Theologia Adamica" that gives rise to the "cultum institutum" of all races. In that way, it reflects a view of sacred and profane that has ties with the Levitical code but that retains its essentially archaic and mythic basis.
Bright Pilgrimage: William Blake's Designs For “L'Allegro” and “Il Penseroso”
Authors: Behrendt Stephen C.
Published: May 2022

Blake's twelve illustrations for L'Allegro and Il Penseroso constitute a vigorous critical interpretation of Milton's twin lyrics. Completed after Blake had made most of his other Milton illustrations, this set of designs is the first to depict Milton extensively and presents Blake's judgment both of the poems and of the poet. Blake visually associates the poet of L'Allegro with the material, physical world of experience and with the inferior, conventionalized poetry of the merely average versifier. He associates the poet of Il Penseroso with the imaginatively superior world of higher innocence and directly with the poetic genius of Milton. The designs for Il Penseroso develop Blake's assessment of Milton's ascent into this higher state, the apotheosis of which appears in the prophetic Milton of the final design. Blake reveals the vast difference between the “young poet” and Milton most clearly in his depictions of each poet's dream, each of which reflects the individual poet's mental and physical state, the former conventional and restricted, the latter imaginatively free.