bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Lithium-Induced Dysgeusia and Hyposmia: A Case Report and a Literature Review
Authors: Nombora Odete , Samico Ana , Venâncio Ângela
Published: December 2022

Background

Bipolar disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder where long-term treatment is crucial to maintain stabilization. Although largely well tolerated, lithium has a wide spectrum of adverse effects in different organs and seems to also cause taste and smell disorders, which remain rare and not largely described. We aim to present a rare case of hyposmia and dysgeusia secondary to lithium treatment in a bipolar patient and also conduct a review on these rare lithium adverse effects.

Case Presentation

The case is a 43-year-old woman with type I bipolar disorder who became stabilized and fully functional with lithium therapy. After 4 months of treatment, she began to notice progressive hyposmia and dysgeusia. After multiple diagnostic and screening tests, lithium was implicated as the cause of the symptoms, which led to a switch to valproic acid. After 3 months, she was not compensated with valproic acid treatment, returned to lithium therapy despite its adverse effects, and became stabilized again.

Conclusions

There are few data on lithium therapy taste and smell adverse effects. Most studies on this topic are likely to be case reports. Lithium therapy may cause dysgeusia and hyposmia, although mechanisms are not fully understood. These adverse effects can interfere negatively in patient's treatment adherence. Therefore, physicians who prescribe lithium should be aware of them. Further structured studies are needed to better understand these lithium rare adverse effects and the appropriate way to assess and monitoring them.
Pharmacological Strategies for Stroke Intervention: Assessment of Pathophysiological Relevance and Clinical Trials
Authors: Verma Geetesh , Sarmah Deepaneeta , Datta Aishika , Goswami Avirag , Rana Nikita , Kaur Harpreet , Borah Anupom , Shah Sudhir , Bhattacharya Pallab
Published: December 2022

Objectives

The present review describes stroke pathophysiology in brief and discusses the spectrum of available treatments with different promising interventions that are in clinical settings or are in clinical trials.

Methods

Relevant articles were searched using Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, and PubMed. Keywords for the search included ischemic stroke, mechanisms, stroke interventions, clinical trials, and stem cell therapy.

Results and Conclusion

Stroke accounts to a high burden of mortality and morbidity around the globe. Time is an important factor in treating stroke. Treatment options are limited; however, agents with considerable efficacy and tolerability are being continuously explored. With the advances in stroke interventions, new therapies are being formulated with a hope that these may aid the ongoing protective and reparative processes. Such therapies may have an extended therapeutic time window in hours, days, weeks, or longer and may have the advantage to be accessible by a majority of the patients.
Exact Bayesian inference for the detection of graft-mobile transcripts from sequencing data
Authors: Tomkins Melissa , Hoerbst Franziska , Gupta Saurabh , Apelt Federico , Kehr Julia , Kragler Friedrich , Morris Richard J.
Published: December 2022

The long-distance transport of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) has been shown to be important for several developmental processes in plants. A popular method for identifying travelling mRNAs is to perform RNA-Seq on grafted plants. This approach depends on the ability to correctly assign sequenced mRNAs to the genetic background from which they originated. The assignment is often based on the identification of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) between otherwise identical sequences. A major challenge is therefore to distinguish SNPs from sequencing errors. Here, we show how Bayes factors can be computed analytically using RNA-Seq data over all the SNPs in an mRNA. We used simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed framework and demonstrate how Bayes factors accurately identify graft-mobile transcripts. The comparison with other detection methods using simulated data shows how not taking the variability in read depth, error rates and multiple SNPs per transcript into account can lead to incorrect classification. Our results suggest experimental design criteria for successful graft-mobile mRNA detection and show the pitfalls of filtering for sequencing errors or focusing on single SNPs within an mRNA.
The evolutionary dynamics that retain long neutral genomic sequences in face of indel deletion bias: a model and its application to human introns
Authors: Loewenthal Gil , Wygoda Elya , Nagar Natan , Glick Lior , Mayrose Itay , Pupko Tal
Published: December 2022

Insertions and deletions (indels) of short DNA segments are common evolutionary events. Numerous studies showed that deletions occur more often than insertions in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It raises the question why neutral sequences are not eradicated from the genome. We suggest that this is due to a phenomenon we term
border-induced selection
. Accordingly, a neutral sequence is bordered between conserved regions. Deletions occurring near the borders occasionally protrude to the conserved region and are thereby subject to strong purifying selection. Thus, for short neutral sequences, an insertion bias is expected. Here, we develop a set of increasingly complex models of indel dynamics that incorporate border-induced selection. Furthermore, we show that short conserved sequences within the neutrally evolving sequence help explain: (i) the presence of very long sequences; (ii) the high variance of sequence lengths; and (iii) the possible emergence of multimodality in sequence length distributions. Finally, we fitted our models to the human intron length distribution, as introns are thought to be mostly neutral and bordered by conserved exons. We show that when accounting for the occurrence of short conserved sequences within introns, we reproduce the main features, including the presence of long introns and the multimodality of intron distribution.
A fast-growing dengue virus mutant reveals a dual role of STING in response to infection
Authors: Ng Wy Ching , Kwek Swee Sen , Sun Bo , Yousefi Meisam , Ong Eugenia Z. , Tan Hwee Cheng , Puschnik Andreas S. , Chan Kuan Rong , Ooi Yaw Shin , Ooi Eng Eong
Published: December 2022

The four dengue viruses (DENVs) have evolved multiple mechanisms to ensure its survival. Among these mechanisms is the ability to regulate its replication rate, which may contribute to avoiding premature immune activation that limit infection dissemination: DENVs associated with dengue epidemics have shown slower replication rate than pre-epidemic strains. Correspondingly, wild-type DENVs replicate more slowly than their clinically attenuated derivatives. To understand how DENVs ‘make haste slowly’, we generated and screened for DENV2 mutants with accelerated replication that also induced high type-I interferon (IFN) expression in infected cells. We chanced upon a single NS2B-I114T amino acid substitution, in an otherwise highly conserved amino acid residue. Accelerated DENV2 replication damaged host DNA as mutant infection was dependent on host DNA damage repair factors, namely RAD21, EID3 and NEK5. DNA damage induced cGAS/STING signalling and activated early type-I IFN response that inhibited infection dissemination. Unexpectedly, STING activation also supported mutant DENV replication in infected cells through STING-induced autophagy. Our findings thus show that DENV NS2B has multi-faceted role in controlling DENV replication rate and immune evasion and suggest that the dual role of STING in supporting virus replication within infected cells but inhibiting infection dissemination could be particularly advantageous for live attenuated vaccine development.
IFNγ-dependent silencing of TFF1 during
Helicobacter pylori
infection
Authors: Eletto D. , Mentucci F. , Vllahu M. , Voli A. , Petrella A. , Boccellato F. , Meyer T. F. , Porta A. , Tosco A.
Published: December 2022

Chronic
Helicobacter pylori
infection is the leading cause of intestinal-type adenocarcinoma, as prolonged
Helicobacter
colonization triggers chronic active gastritis, which may evolve into adenocarcinoma of the intestinal type. In this environment, cytokines play a significant role in determining the evolution of the infection. In combination with other factors (genetic, environmental and nutritional), the pro-inflammatory response may trigger pro-oncogenic mechanisms that lead to the silencing of tumour-suppressor genes, such as trefoil factor 1 (TFF1). The latter is known to play a protective role by maintaining the gastric mucosa integrity and retaining
H. pylori
in the mucus layer, preventing the progression of infection and, consequently, the development of gastric cancer (GC). Since TFF1 expression is reduced during chronic
Helicobacter
infection with a loss of gastric mucosa protection, we investigated the molecular pathways involved in this reduction. Specifically, we evaluated the effect of some pro-inflammatory cytokines on TFF1 regulation in GC and primary gastric cells by RT-qPCR and luciferase reporter assay analyses and the repressor role of the transcription factor C/EBPβ, overexpressed in gastric-intestinal cancer. Our results show that, among several cytokines, IFNγ stimulates C/EBPβ expression, which acts as a negative regulator of TFF1 by binding its promoter at three different sites.
Restricting a single amino acid cross-protects
Drosophila melanogaster
from nicotine poisoning through mTORC1 and GCN2 signalling
Authors: Fulton Tahlia L. , Mirth Christen K. , Piper Matthew D. W.
Published: December 2022

Dietary interventions that restrict protein intake have repeatedly been shown to offer beneficial health outcomes to the consumer. Benefits such as increased stress tolerance can be observed when individual amino acids are restricted, thus mimicking dietary protein restriction. Here, we sought to further understand the relationship between dietary amino acids and stress tolerance using
Drosophila melanogaster
. Using a chemically defined medium for
Drosophila
, we found that transiently restricting adult flies of a single essential amino acid generally protects against a lethal dose of the naturally occurring insecticide, nicotine. This protection varied with the identity of the focal amino acid and depended on the duration and intensity of its restriction. To understand the molecular basis of these effects, we modified the signalling of two cellular sensors of amino acids, GCN2 and mTORC1, in combination with amino acid restriction. We found that GCN2 was necessary for diets to protect against nicotine, whereas the suppression of mTORC1 was sufficient to induce nicotine resistance. This finding implies that amino acid restriction acts via amino acid signalling to cross-protect against seemingly unrelated stressors. Altogether, our study offers new insights into the physiological responses to restriction of individual amino acids that confer stress tolerance.
PneumoKITy: A fast, flexible, specific, and sensitive tool for Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype screening and mixed serotype detection from genome sequence data
Authors: Sheppard Carmen L. , Manna Sam , Groves Natalie , Litt David J. , Amin-Chowdhury Zahin , Bertran Marta , Ladhani Shamez , Satzke Catherine , Fry Norman K.
Published: December 2022

Determination of serotypes of

Streptococcus pneumoniae

is essential for monitoring current vaccine programmes. Since October 2017, pneumococcal serotypes in England have been derived from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data using our bioinformatic tool PneumoCaT. That tool was designed for serotype determination from pure cultures in a reference laboratory. To help determine multiple serotypes in pneumococcal carriage samples, we developed a new software tool named PneumoKITy (Pneumococcal K-mer Integrated Typing) that uses the powerful Mash k-mer screening method for pneumococcal serotyping. Mash k-mer screening is more sequence specific and much faster than the mapping method used in PneumoCaT and can determine 54 (58.1  %) of the 93 serotypes in the SSI Diagnostica phenotypical serotyping scheme to type level with the remainder called to serogroup or subgroup level (e.g., 11A/D). PneumoKITy can be run on both FastQ and assembly input, requiring up to 11× less memory and running up to 29× faster than the current version of PneumoCaT (1.2.1) on FastQ files. PneumoKITy can be used as a rapid, flexible serotype screening method which adds sensitive detection of mixed serotypes, e.g., for nasopharyngeal carriage studies where the presence of multiple serotypes is common. PneumoKITy’s ability to function from assembly file, for pure culture serotype detection, increases its speed. This speed potentially enables the software to be run using low infrastructure overhead via web-based platforms. PneumoKITy could be used as a fast initial screening method with other tools used for those serotypes that could not be fully determined to type level if necessary. PneumoKITy was found to be highly accurate and sensitive when run on a panel of FastQ files derived from mixed cultures with all serotypes in 47/51 (92.2  %) of samples being accurately detected. PneumoKITy was also able to accurately estimate the relative abundance of serotypes in the same sample. Estimates being within a mean relative abundance of 1.5 % of the expected abundance in mixtures with known concentrations. PneumoKITy was able to detect minor serotypes with expected abundance of 1 % in the known mixture serotypes. PneumoKITy is a rapid, flexible tool with wide-ranging applications outside of the pure-culture, reference laboratory serotyping remit of PneumoCaT.
Optogenetic clustering and membrane translocation of the BcLOV4 photoreceptor
Authors: Pal Ayush Aditya , Benman William , Mumford Thomas R. , Chow Brian Y. , Bugaj Lukasz J.
Published: December 2022

Optogenetic clustering is a versatile method to control protein activity in living cells, tissues, and organisms. Here we show that the BcLOV4 photoreceptor both clusters and translocates to the plasma membrane in response to blue light, representing a new class of light-dependent behavior. We demonstrate that dual translocation and clustering can be harnessed for novel single-component optogenetic tools, including for activation of the entire family of epidermal growth factor receptor (ErbB1-4) tyrosine kinases. We further find that clustering and membrane translocation are causally linked. Stronger clustering increased the magnitude of translocation and downstream signaling, increased sensitivity to light by ~3-4-fold, and decreased the expression levels needed for strong signal activation. Thus light-induced clustering of BcLOV4 provides a strategy to generate a new class of optogenetic tools and to enhance existing ones.
Framing the barriers to construction industry transformation
Authors: Watts Greg , McDermott Peter , Kolo Shaba
Published: December 2022

Purpose

“Transforming construction” is a wide-ranging strategic term, under which sit numerous initiatives. It is the latest, in a long line of strategies and reports introduced to with the intention of industry improvement. Arguably, many of these fail to achieve their aim. The barriers preventing the adoption of transforming construction initiatives are therefore limiting the potential benefits of the strategy. The aim of this research is to formally identify and understand how these barriers are framed and how these frames can be changed so that the barriers can be overcome, and the wider strategy benefits realised.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review is undertaken to identify “transforming construction” initiatives. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews are then undertaken with construction professionals and analysed via narrative analysis to identify and understand perceived barriers to these initiatives. Framing is utilised as a theoretical lens to categorise these barriers and understand how “shifts” in the frames held can be achieved and the barriers overcome.

Findings

Barriers to transforming construction initiatives are identified as wicked problems. This allows a new perspective on such initiatives to be gained. The results also reveal how construction professionals frame such barriers, viewing themselves as bystanders with initiatives and practices “bigger” than themselves and their roles. How these frames can be “shifted” from bystander to active participant is identified. Such a shift can serve as a blueprint for industry professionals so that the initiatives identified can be successfully implemented thereby increasing the success of the transforming construction strategy.

Originality/value

This paper addresses a gap in current research around the perceptions held by construction professionals of the initiatives that sit under the transforming construction strategy. Addressing this gap allows the diagnosis of barriers that have previously served to prevent initiatives gaining traction. The findings contribute to both the existing literature and current industry practice by highlighting how the barriers are framed, and how such frames can be “shifted” to support the realisation of long promised strategy benefits.
When less isn't more and more isn't less: is there an overlap between “protected designation of origin”, “mountain product” and “organic” in Italy?
Authors: Stiletto Alice , Trestini Samuele
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Using a generic cheese as an anchor product, in this study consumers' preferences for different EU quality schemes have been investigated. Specifically, the study aims to understand whether “Protected Designation of Origin” (PDO), “Organic” and “Mountain Product” labels are independent or if there are some synergies existing between them, questioning – at the same time – whether this alleged exchange of value plays a positive or negative role in terms of consumers' willingness to pay.

Design/methodology/approach

A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted on 600 Italian consumers performing a random parameter logit model. The respondents were representative of the Italian population in terms of age, gender and geographical distribution. Consumers' preferences for the presence of “Organic” and “Mountain product” labels were assessed in the DCE, together with the effect of price, for both PDO and generic cheeses.

Findings

Consumers are willing to pay a premium in price for “Organic” and “Mountain Product” per se, for cheese with and without the PDO denomination. Considering the interaction effects, results showed that the combined use of “Organic” and “Mountain Product” labels do not decrease consumers' intention to buy. However, when applied on a PDO product, these attributes generate a lower consumers' willingness to pay in comparison with the generic ones, highlighting a possible overlapping between them.

Originality/value

Despite the abundant literature on EU quality schemes in many food categories, this study represents one of the first attempts to measure the interaction effect between different EU quality schemes.
Evolutionary game analysis of the intelligent upgrading of smart solar photovoltaic projects
Authors: Hu Yibo , Song Jinbo , Zhao Tingting
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The development of China's solar photovoltaic (PV) industry is in a transition period from pursuing scale and speed to focusing on efficiency and quality. “Smart PV projects” (SPVPs) were proposed by the ministries of the Chinese government in 2018 to encourage intelligent upgrading and to fill the gaps in traditional PV projects. However, only a small number of PV enterprises are in progress, and only a few SPVPs have been built. The intelligence level of China's PV projects needs to be improved. The purpose of this study is to analyze the willingness of the main participants to be involved in the intelligent upgrading of PV projects by establishing an evolutionary game model that includes three parties.

Design/methodology/approach

A tripartite evolutionary game model is constructed that considers PV enterprises, project owners and the government. The evolutionary stability strategies of each party and the corresponding stable conditions are obtained. The parameters that affect the decision behaviors are also analyzed.

Findings

The four stages of the intelligent upgrade of PV projects and the effects of the government subsidy strategies are examined. At different stages, adopting different measures to promote cooperation among the three parties involved is necessary. Government subsidies should be provided to PV enterprises during the initial stage and should be biased toward project owners during the intermediate stage. During the peak stage, PV enterprises constantly need to decrease project costs and improve quality and service, thus helping project owners reduce their initial investments and obtain additional gains. The government's reputation drives it to continually adopt incentive strategies.

Originality/value

This research focuses on the interactions among the three parties. Based on evolutionary game analysis, several conditions that facilitate the intelligent upgrading of PV projects are illustrated. Implications for different developing stages are proposed from the perspectives of each party for the decision-makers of SPVPs.
20 years of workplace diversity research in hospitality and tourism: a bibliometric analysis
Authors: Mohammadi Zohre , Bhati Abhishek , Ng Eddy
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This paper charts the development of diversity research in hospitality and tourism (H&T) as a field of study. The authors are interested in how diversity has been studied, where diversity scholarship has been published, who are the leading diversity scholars and whether the scholars work has been influential. In addition, the authors identified the institutions and countries that contribute significantly to diversity scholarship in H&T.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors draw from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection, Scopus and Australian Business Dean's Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List covering 109 journals to identify the relevant articles on workplace diversity in H&T. The authors conducted evaluative and relational bibliometric techniques to assess the prominence of diversity scholarship in the field.

Findings

Diversity research in H&T did not gain traction until 2005. Using Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal as a benchmark, the authors found that diversity research in H&T closely tracked the diversity topics in general organization and management literature. However, H&T lagged in race and ethnic, as well as gender identity research. A majority of diversity research is published in leading (top-ranked) journals, signifying the value of diversity scholarship in H&T. Hospitality journals published the most articles, while tourism journals reported the highest impact. Scholars based in the USA, China and the United Kingdom (UK) contributed the most diversity articles, but one researcher, Osman M. Karatepe (Turkey), stood out as the most productive and influential diversity scholar in H&T.

Practical implications

The insights from this study aid H&T scholars in identifying trends and opportunities in diversity research, assessing the productivity and impact of various journals and databases, locating collaborative opportunities (through co-citations and highly productive and influential institutions and scholars) and benchmarking the scholars’ own work.

Originality/value

Given an absence of prior review and diversity research has only gained ground in the H&T literature since 2005, this bibliometric study offers a fossil record and documents the trajectory of diversity scholarship in H&T, identifies the scholars who are active in this area of research and highlights institutions and countries where diversity research is conducted.
Strengthening precarity? A critical analysis of education and training programmes in the UK (Scotland)
Authors: Doyle Lesley , Wang Geng
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to examine the provision of education and training programmes for young people in Scotland for work and lifelong learning within the context of the skills ecosystem approach adopted by the Scottish Government.

Design/methodology/approach

The research drew upon findings from a large EU-funded multi-country project which ran from 2016 to 2019 that comprised experiences and perspectives with young people who were affected by these programmes as well as the managers and practitioners tasked with delivering them. The work was conducted in Aberdeenshire and Glasgow and included in-depth interviews with young people and programme managers and practitioners.

Findings

The research showed that there is a gap between the rhetoric of the intentions of the policies and how those involved at ground level experience the programmes enacted under policies which draw on a skill ecosystem approach. Whilst there was public funding for training, it was not clear from the enactment of the relevant policies where employers' responsibilities lie. Locating the findings in the skills ecosystem model highlights the weak engagement of employers in their pivotal role in the education and training system and the resulting increased precarity of the young people's futures.

Research limitations/implications

The paper sheds light on the shape of education and training provision in Scotland, the range of participants engaged in the provision and the commitment of providers in comparison to policy language and intentions.

Originality/value

Through the skill ecosystem approach, this paper draws together policy narratives and the experiences of young people.
Impact pathways: towards an adapted understanding of the development of operational capabilities
Authors: Wiengarten Frank , Durach Christian F. , Franke Henrik , Netland Torbjørn H. , Schmidt Fabian K.
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study is intended to motivate and guide future researchers to rethink and update their theories of operational capability development. By examining the extensive body of research on operational capabilities and working closely with an industry partner, the authors are iteratively developing new thinking about why our existing models seem to be failing and what aspects are likely to be useful in updating them.

Design/methodology/approach

This pathway paper is based on observations gained through a structured literature review, close collaboration with an industry partner and discussions with other industry partners and executives.

Findings

The authors identify ways in which the operations management community could begin to challenge and expand existing models of operational capability development. They provide reflections on the network structure of operational capabilities, i.e. their interconnectedness and interactions, which are likely to evolve dynamically over time and have not yet been part of the authors’ thinking about operational capability development.

Originality/value

The authors hope to stimulate new research through this pathway paper. By synthesizing their existing knowledge of operational capabilities and collaborating with an industry partner, the authors have attempted to highlight their limited knowledge of capability development. In addition, the authors offer several opportunities to rethink their existing models.
Homogenous or heterogeneous? Demand effect of reviewer similarity in online video website
Authors: Yang Jun , Kong Demei , Huang Hongjun
Published: December 2022

Purpose

Nowadays, online platforms which provide products or services try to implement their homegrown communities to facilitate users' social interactions. Reviewers' activities in these communities can reflect their interests. Based on the theory of homophily, the authors aim to explore the impacts of the reviewer preference similarity and opinion similarity on the rate of product diffusion.

Design/methodology/approach

First, the authors construct reviewer similarity network based on their common interests and propose typical network metrics to measure reviewer preference similarity. Second, the authors measure reviewer opinion similarity with natural language processing. Finally, based on a panel data from an online video platform in China, both the fixed-effect and random-effect panel data models are constructed.

Findings

The authors find that reviewer preference similarity has a positive effect on the product diffusion, whereas reviewer opinion similarity has a negative effect on the diffusion. Furthermore, temporal distance moderates the relationship between reviewer similarity and the product diffusion. As a double-edged sword, review preference similarity hinders product diffusion in the initial phase, whereas benefits it in the later phase. Reviewer opinion similarity is always detrimental to product diffusion, especially in the initial phase.

Originality/value

This paper extends the understanding of homophily from the micro peer level to the group level by constructing reviewers' similarity network and highlights the important role of reviewer preference similarity and opinion similarity in product diffusion. The results also provide important insights for managers to design and implement diversity strategies for better product adoption in the community context.
The impact of cultural variability on brand stereotype, emotion and purchase intention
Authors: Jakubanecs Alexander , Supphellen Magne , Helgeson James G. , Haugen Hege Mathea , Sivertstøl Njål
Published: December 2022

Purpose

This study aims to focus on an interplay of brand stereotypes (Brands as Intentional Agents Framework [BIAF]) with an aspect of culture and its impact on behavioral intentions in an individualist culture (Norway) and a collectivist culture (Thailand).

Design/methodology/approach

This study incorporates a survey conducted in two cultures (Norway: N = 177 and Thailand: N = 288).

Findings

In both cultures, competence had a stronger effect on purchase intentions toward a brand than warmth. There was a stronger effect on brand purchase intentions of competence found for an individualist versus a collectivist culture, and we found a stronger effect of warmth on purchase intentions in a collectivist versus an individualist culture. The direct joint effect of warmth and competence on purchase intentions was brand-specific in Norway. Admiration mediated this joint effect in the collectivist but not in the individualist culture.

Research limitations/implications

This study’s results point to cross-cultural variability of some of the effects of brand perceptions on behavioral intentions.

Practical implications

These findings suggest that international brand managers should consider both the cultural universality and the cultural variability of BIAF.

Originality/value

Despite extensive research on BIAF, studies on brand perceptions from the cross-cultural perspective are few. This investigation sheds some light on the differential effects of the framework across a collectivist and an individualist culture.
Environmental dynamism and sustainability: the mediating role of innovation, strategic flexibility and HR development
Authors: Kafetzopoulos Dimitrios
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether environmental dynamism can drive firms to adopt sustainability, taking into consideration the mediating role of the innovation process, strategic flexibility and human resource development in this relationship.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed framework is tested by confirmatory factor analysis and finally structural equation modeling (SEM) using the survey data from 513 Greek firms.

Findings

The results show that environmental dynamism drives firms to sustainability, but the introduction of innovation process, strategic flexibility and human resource development fully mediate the effect of this relationship.

Research limitations/implications

This study explores three organizational factors. In future research it would be very interesting to explore other topics that affect sustainability. Moreover, it might be useful for researchers to examine firms' digital capability and ambidextrous sustainability.

Practical implications

This study offers clear implications for managers, proving that innovation process, strategic flexibility and human resource development are critical factors in achieving sustainability.

Originality/value

This empirical study determines the contribution of environmental dynamism to sustainability taking into consideration the role of three critical organizational factors as mediators in this relationship.
Professional skills required by accountants for applying international financial reporting standards: implications from Indonesia
Authors: Maradona Agus Fredy , Chand Parmod , Lodhia Sumit
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to identify the professional skills and competencies of accountants that support a successful implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The authors further investigate the extent to which professional accountants have developed these skills through professional training.

Design/methodology/approach

In the survey, Indonesian accountants were provided with a list of 47 skill items under nine categories of professional skills and were asked to rate the importance of each skill item and to indicate the level of priority given to the development of the skill items in the professional training they have undertaken. Their responses provide insights into the skills needed for applying IFRS and the adequacy of professional training in providing these skills.

Findings

The authors find that accounting judgement is considered to be the most necessary skill for applying IFRS. Likewise, the findings show that ethical skills and certain generic skills are also perceived to be necessary for adequate application of IFRS, while skills relating to cultural sensitivity are viewed as least important. The findings further demonstrate that professional training programmes need to emphasise the development of judgement and other relevant skills that are important skill categories for applying IFRS.

Research limitations/implications

This study extends the literature on IFRS implementation through a specific focus on the professional skills required by accountants.

Practical implications

These findings have important policy implications for the standard-setters, regulators, auditors and to professional training providers across the world, such as professional accounting associations, accounting firms and educational institutions, for evaluating the content of the training and education programmes being delivered to accountants to prepare them with the relevant skills for applying IFRS.

Originality/value

This study is one of the first to examine the importance of various types of skills necessary for accountants in applying IFRS and the extent to which these skills have been developed through the professional accounting training provided.
Exploring Customer Perceived Value towards non-deceptive counterfeiting: a grounded theory approach
Authors: Samaddar Kaushik , Gandhi Aradhana
Published: December 2022

Purpose

The study explores and builds theories in Customer Perceived Values (CPVs) that drive counterfeit buying intention, using a Grounded Theory Approach (GTA) in an emerging market, India.

Design/methodology/approach

Counterfeit studies have either resorted to a survey approach or modelling approach in investigating various aspects and dimensions. This study, among a few, attempted a GTA in building theory on CPVs. Based on the observations and recorded responses that emerged through several Focus Group Discussions (FGDs); conducted in two metropolitan cities (India), newer insights into this illicit phenomenon of “Counterfeiting” were derived.

Findings

Adding to the counterfeit literature, the study presents a comprehensive view of the CPVs. Findings reveal economic, socio-normative, pleasure-based, euphemistic, acquisition-centrality, self-regulating, situational and sustainable consumption values that influence counterfeit attitudes and in turn impact counterfeit buying intentions. Although Economic Values (ECV) have been the primary motivation for counterfeit purchase, complex and newer values that emerged through this research study bears significance.

Practical implications

As a single point of reference, this study will provide impetus to scholars and academicians in expanding the counterfeit research domain. While aiding policymakers and marketers in further understanding this illicit practice, it will also guide brand managers in strategizing their offerings and reaching out to the masses with strong brand aesthetic values.

Originality/value

Based on a systematic literature review using the 4 Ws framework, this study is one of the few attempts that has adopted a GTA to explore and develop theories on CPVs in counterfeit research.
Clinical effect of omalizumab as an adjuvant treatment to rituximab in patient with refractory bullous pemphigoid
Authors: Kwon Il Joo , Kim Taehee , Yoo Dae San , Min Seoyeon , Kim Soo‐Chan , Kim Jong Hoon
Published: December 2022

Patients with refractory bullous pemphigoid (BP) achieve remission after rituximab treatment but require high‐dose systemic corticosteroids until the remission. The aim of this retrospective study was to examine the clinical efficacy of omalizumab as an adjuvant treatment to rituximab in patients with refractory BP. Patients with BP receiving treatment with either rituximab monotherapy or rituximab plus omalizumab were considered for the study. The total dose of corticosteroids received for 60 days after administration of rituximab, mortality and relapse rates, and median time to relapse were also investigated. Of 49 patients included in the study, 25 received rituximab monotherapy and 17 received the combination therapy with rituximab and omalizumab. The rituximab plus omalizumab group showed shorter time to disease control with minimal treatment (15 days vs. 67.5 days, p < 0.001) and lower corticosteroid dose for 60 days after administration of rituximab (698.4 mg vs. 1087.4 mg of methylprednisolone, p < 0.001) compared to the rituximab monotherapy group. The results of this study suggest that combination therapy with rituximab and omalizumab can achieve disease control status faster than the rituximab monotherapy, reducing the total dose of corticosteroids.
Melanocyte‐specific CD49a+CD8+ T cells in vitiligo lesion potentiate to maintain activity during systemic steroid therapy
Authors: Yokoi Kazunori , Watanabe Rei , Kume Miki , Yamane Saki , Tanaka Atsushi , Fujimoto Manabu , Tanemura Atsushi
Published: December 2022

Vitiligo is a common depigmenting skin disease that is often difficult to treat. Even if repigmentation is achieved by treatment, recurrence in the same lesion is often found within a year after stopping treatment. As a background of these issues, a subset of CD8+ T cells that recognize melanocyte‐specific antigens or CD49a+ tissue‐resident memory T cells that reside in the vitiligo lesion are thought to be involved. We investigated the MHC class I‐restricted tyrosinase pentamer‐positive CD8+ skin T cells in a progressive generalized vitiligo patient with HLA‐A*02:01 who showed resistance to intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy. We found that HLA‐A*02:01‐restricted tyrosinase pentamer‐positive CD8+ T cells remained in the lesions after the treatment and expressed IFN‐γ and granzyme B. Interestingly, the expression of these cytokines in the pentamer‐negative CD8+ T cells was decreased after intravenous methylprednisolone pulse therapy. These findings suggest that, in vitiligo patients, melanocyte‐specific CD49a+CD8+ T cells are in a potent activation state that is uncontrolled despite systemic immunosuppressive treatment, which may contribute to treatment resistance and local recurrence.
High‐dose vasoactive agents in aeromedical retrievals for septic shock: A role for vasopressin?
Authors: Aston Ben , Allen Katherine , Hamilton Alistair
Published: December 2022

Objective

To determine the number of patients retrieved by aeromedical teams for septic shock requiring vasopressor support who meet criteria for vasopressin therapy under the Surviving Sepsis Campaign 2021 guidelines.

Methods

Retrospective chart review of patients transferred by LifeFlight Retrieval Medicine on vasopressors over 2 years.

Results

One thousand one hundred and fifty‐eight patients were retrieved on vasopressor therapy, with 428 requiring infusions for septic shock. One hundred and fifteen of these met criteria for administration of vasopressin under Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines.

Conclusion

A sufficient percentage of patients on vasopressors for septic shock require vasopressin therapy to meet current best treatment guidelines, and the inclusion of vasopressin in retrieval drug kits should be considered by Australian aeromedical services.
A randomised controlled trial of intravenous dexmedetomidine added to dexamethasone for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair and duration of interscalene block
Authors: Albrecht E. , Capel D. , Rossel J. B. , Wolmarans M. R. , Godenèche A. , De Paulis D. , Cabaton J.
Published: December 2022

Prolongation of peripheral nerve blockade by intravenous dexamethasone may be extended by intravenous dexmedetomidine. We randomly allocated 122 participants who had intravenous dexamethasone 0.15 mg.kg−1 before interscalene brachial plexus block for day‐case arthroscopic rotator cuff repair to intravenous saline (62 participants) or intravenous dexmedetomidine 1 μg.kg−1 (60 participants). The primary outcome was time from block to first oral morphine intake during the first 48 postoperative hours. Fifty‐nine participants reported taking oral morphine, 25/62 after placebo and 34/60 after dexmedetomidine, p = 0.10. The time to morphine intake was shorter after dexmedetomidine, hazard ratio (95%CI) 1.68 (1.00–2.82), p = 0.049. Median (IQR [range]) morphine doses were 0 (0–12.5 [0–50]) mg after control vs. 10 (0–30 [0–50]) after dexmedetomidine, a difference (95%CI) of 7 (0–10) mg, p = 0.056. There was no effect of dexmedetomidine on pain at rest or on movement. Intra‐operative hypotension was recorded for 27/62 and 50/60 participants after placebo vs. dexmedetomidine, respectively, p < 0.001. Other outcomes were similar, including durations of sensory and motor block. In conclusion, dexmedetomidine shortened the time to oral morphine consumption after interscalene block combined with dexamethasone and caused intra‐operative hypotension.
Shutting Down the Machines of Destruction: Possibilities for Agrarian Life on the Protest Blockade
Authors: Gilbert David E.
Published: December 2022

The protest blockade is one tool for seeking liberation from the state while living within it. I offer a critical analysis of the protest blockade in agrarian struggles for land and life in Indonesia and beyond. I specify my discussion with a retelling of a Sumatran land‐back movement of smallholders and landless workers who twice turned to the blockade to reclaim their land from a plantation company. I consider how these blockades and others in Sumatra and Borneo created direct‐action power, thereby expanding people's possibilities for livelihood and autonomy in landscapes of extraction and exploitation. Blockading action is a process that unfolds from within as activists challenge the legitimacy of their rulers and set out to create more emancipatory spaces and territories. When protestors blockade the bulldozers, logging trucks, and other machines of capitalist exploitation of workers and ecologies, they seek to disrupt the infrastructures and commodity flows of the dominant political‐economic order as well as open up new agrarian possibilities. These protest blockades are central to the anarchist, Indigenous, and decolonial politics that motivate direct‐action protests across the globe.
Downregulation of MDM2 by small interference RNA induces apoptosis and sensitizes MCF‐7 breast cells to resveratrol
Authors: Zhang Ning‐Xin , Ma Jun‐Feng , Li Si‐Qi , Yin Zhe , Li Li
Published: December 2022

Recent studies have demonstrated the mouse double minute gene (MDM2), a main oncogene, as a novel and interesting therapeutic target for cancer therapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the involvement of MDM2 in antiproliferative and antimetastatic effects of resveratrol in breast cancer cells. MCF‐7 cells were transfected with siRNA against MDM2 and resveratrol. Proliferation and apoptosis were evaluated by MTT assay and cell death ELISA assay, respectively. MDM2, p53, Bax, Bcl‐2, caspase‐3, MMP‐2, and MMP9 expressions were determined by qRT‐PCR and Western blotting. Transfection with si‐MDM2 significantly suppressed the expression of MDM2 expression, resulting in MCF‐7 cell growth inhibition and spontaneous apoptosis. Pretreatment with Si‐MDM2 synergically increased antiproliferation and antimetatstatic effects of resveratrol. No significant anticancer effects were detected with negative control siRNA treatment. Our findings suggest that silencing of MDM2 by specific siRNA effectively induce apoptosis and also enhanced anticancer effects of resveratrol. Therefore, siMDM2 may be a potent combination in breast therapy.
Total tau in cerebrospinal fluid detects treatment responders among spinal muscular atrophy types 1–3 patients treated with nusinersen
Authors: Šimić Goran , Vukić Vana , Babić Marija , Banović Maria , Berečić Ivana , Španić Ena , Zubčić Klara , Golubić Anja Tea , Barišić Kutija Marija , Merkler Šorgić Ana , Vogrinc Željka , Lehman Ivan , Hof Patrick R. , Sertić Jadranka , Barišić Nina
Published: December 2022

Aims

Considering the substantial variability in treatment response across patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), reliable markers for monitoring response to therapy and predicting treatment responders need to be identified. The study aimed to determine if measured concentrations of disease biomarkers (total tau protein, neurofilament light chain, and S100B protein) correlate with the duration of nusinersen treatment and with scores obtained using functional scales for the assessment of motor abilities.

Methods

A total of 30 subjects with SMA treated with nusinersen between 2017 and 2021 at the Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Croatia, were included in this study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected by lumbar puncture prior to intrathecal application of nusinersen. Protein concentrations in CSF samples were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay in 26 subjects. The motor functions were assessed using functional motor scales.

Results

The main finding was significantly decreased total tau correlating with the number of nusinersen doses and motor improvement in the first 18–24 months of treatment (in all SMA patients and SMA type 1 patients). Neurofilament light chain and S100B were not significantly changed after administration of nusinersen.

Conclusions

The measurement of total tau concentration in CSF is a reliable index for monitoring the biomarker and clinical response to nusinersen therapy in patients with SMA.