bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Needling therapies in the management of myofascial pain of the masticatory muscles: A network meta‐analysis of randomised clinical trials
Authors: Al‐Moraissi Essam Ahmed , Alradom Jabr , Aladashi Omar , Goddard Greg , Christidis Nikolaos 
Published: March 2020

AbstractObjectiveA network meta‐analysis (NMA) of randomised clinical trials (RCTs) was performed aiming to compare the treatment outcome of dry needling, acupuncture or wet needling using different substances in managing myofascial pain of the masticatory muscles (TMD‐M).MethodAn electronic search was undertaken to identify RCTs published until September 2019, comparing dry needling, acupuncture or wet needling using local anaesthesia (LA), botulinum toxin‐A (BTX‐A), granisetron, platelet‐rich plasma (PRP) or passive placebo versus real active placebo in patients with TMD‐M. RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria were stratified according to the follow‐up time: immediate post‐treatment to 3 weeks, and 1 to 6 months post‐treatment. Outcome variables were post‐treatment pain intensity, increased mouth opening (MMO) and pressure threshold pain (PPT). The quality of evidence was rated according to Cochrane's tool for assessing risk of bias. Mean difference (MD) was used to analysed via frequentist NMA using Stata software.ResultsTwenty‐one RCTs involving 959 patients were included. The quality of evidence of the included studies was low or very low. There was significant pain decrease after PRP when compared to an active/passive placebo and acupuncture. There was a significant improvement of MMO after LA (MD = 3.65; CI: 1.18‐6.1) and dry needling therapy (MD = 2.37; CI: 0.66‐4) versus placebo. The three highest ranked treatments for short‐term post‐treatment pain reduction in TMD‐M (1‐20 days) were PRP (95.8%), followed by LA (62.5%) and dry needling (57.1%), whereas the three highest ranked treatments at intermediate‐term follow‐up (1‐6 months) were LA (90.2%), dry needling (66.1%) and BTX‐A (52.1%) (all very low‐quality evidence). LA (96.4%) was the most effective treatment regarding the increase in MMO followed by dry needling (72.4%).ConclusionBased on this NMA, one can conclude that the effectiveness of needling therapy did not depend on needling type (dry or wet) or needling substance. The outcome of this NMA suggests that LA, BTX‐A, granisetron and PRP hold some promise as injection therapies, but no definite conclusions can be drawn due to the low quality of evidence of the included studies. This NMA did not provide enough support for any of the needling therapies for TMD‐M.
The association between mental health nurse to registered nurse ratio and patient outcomes in psychiatric inpatient wards: Protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Moyo Nompilo , Jones Martin , Gilbert Sue , Romero Lorena , Gray Richard 
Published: March 2020

Accessible summaryWhat is known on the subject?

Nursing skill mix research has primarily focused on medical and surgical patients.

The association between nursing skill mix and clinical outcomes for psychiatric inpatients has not been adequately explored.

No systematic reviews have been reported that have examined the association between the ratio of mental health to registered nurses and patient outcomes.

What this paper adds to existing knowledge?

Our protocol sets out, in detail, the methods we intend to follow to ensure that this review is conducted and reported to the highest possible standards.

What are the implications for practice?

The review will summarize evidence about safe staffing in mental health inpatient units internationally.

The review will inform health policy and planning of health services.

AbstractAimTo assess the association between mental health nurse to comprehensive/general nurse ratio and relapse—determined by hospital admission—in adult psychiatric inpatients.Background informationThere is considerable variation in psychiatric inpatient nursing skill mix internationally. In most countries, wards are typically staffed by a mix of mental health and comprehensive/general nurses. To date, there have been no systematic reviews that have examined the association between the ratio of mental health to registered nurses and patient outcomes.MethodWe will systematically search five databases. Risk of bias will be determined using the Effective Public Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool. A meta‐analysis will be undertaken if there are at least two similar studies.ResultsFor included studies, we will produce table summarizing risk of bias and extracted data. If we are able to undertake a meta‐analysis, this will be reported as a forest plot.DiscussionThis paper sets out a detailed plan for a systematic review of mental health nurse skill mix research.Implications for practiceHigh‐quality evidence about the association between nursing skill mix and patient outcomes is important to inform the planning of mental health services internationally.
Comparing experimental and field‐measured traits and their variability in Central European grassland species
Authors: Dostál Petr , Fischer Markus , Prati Daniel 
Published: March 2020

AbstractQuestionsWhat are the relative effects of intra‐ and interspecific differences on variation in five functional traits measured in a garden pot experiment? Are species rankings based on trait means and intraspecific trait variability (ITV) stable across the garden experiment and field measurements?LocationExperimental garden and two grassland systems in Central Europe.MethodsWe measured five functional traits (plant height, leaf dry matter content [LDMC], leaf greenness, leaf thickness and specific leaf area SLA]) in 105 grassland species grown in a garden experiment subjected to fertilization, shading and waterlogging, complemented by a control. We also measured plant height, LDMC and SLA across grasslands in Germany, and used published values of the same traits from a field study in the Czech Republic. We then correlated speciesʼ trait means from different treatments in the experiment. We also compared garden‐ and field‐measured trait means and ITV in SLA, LDMC and plant height.ResultsMost variation in the experiment‐measured trait data was explained by interspecific differences, except for leaf greenness (where species explained less than 50% of the variance), and the treatments had little effect on close associations of trait means. Species rankings based on SLA and LDMC, but not plant height, were stable across garden and field measurements. Though garden and field‐measured ITV were positively associated with each other, the associations were not significant.ConclusionsOur study indicates that species can be stably ranked based on SLA and LDMC means across different datasets (experimental and field‐based). To what extent species vary in their functional traits under field conditions can be, however, less well predicted from experimentally measured ITV. Garden‐measured differences in ITV should be thus used with caution when associated with species’ performance and distribution patterns explored in the field.
The absurd as method: The Chinese absurdist hero, enchanted power, and the alienated poor in Yan Lianke's military literature
Authors: Xie Haiyan 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAs one of the most prolific and outspoken of contemporary Chinese writers, Yan Lianke has won international recognition for his writing from the margins. However, while his novels have been extensively studied, Yan's military literature has received much less scholarly attention. This paper explores Yan's adaptation of the absurd in Western literature to Chinese military literature, investigates how he constructs Chinese absurdist heroes, and reconstructs the concepts of “the poor” and “power” in his narratives. Focusing in particular on his 2009 collection of military novellas Sihao jinqu (Prohibited Area Number Four), this paper argues that the absurd in Yan's military texts serves not only as a formal experiment for exploring the alternative imagination of the alienated and marginalized peasant soldiers in contemporary China but also as an implicit means of articulating Yan's own socio‐political commentary, one which cannot allow itself to be explicitly political.
Functional colour genes and signals of selection in colour‐polymorphic salamanders
Authors: Burgon James D. , Vieites David R. , Jacobs Arne , Weidt Stefan K. , Gunter Helen M. , Steinfartz Sebastian , Burgess Karl , Mable Barbara K. , Elmer Kathryn R. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractColoration has been associated with multiple biologically relevant traits that drive adaptation and diversification in many taxa. However, despite the great diversity of colour patterns present in amphibians the underlying molecular basis is largely unknown. Here, we use insight from a highly colour‐variable lineage of the European fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra bernardezi) to identify functional associations with striking variation in colour morph and pattern. The three focal colour morphs—ancestral black‐yellow striped, fully yellow and fully brown—differed in pattern, visible coloration and cellular composition. From population genomic analyses of up to 4,702 loci, we found no correlations of neutral population genetic structure with colour morph. However, we identified 21 loci with genotype–phenotype associations, several of which relate to known colour genes. Furthermore, we inferred response to selection at up to 142 loci between the colour morphs, again including several that relate to coloration genes. By transcriptomic analysis across all different combinations, we found 196 differentially expressed genes between yellow, brown and black skin, 63 of which are candidate genes involved in animal coloration. The concordance across different statistical approaches and ‘omic data sets provide several lines of evidence for loci linked to functional differences between colour morphs, including TYR, CAMK1 and PMEL. We found little association between colour morph and the metabolomic profile of its toxic compounds from the skin secretions. Our research suggests that current ecological and evolutionary hypotheses for the origins and maintenance of these striking colour morphs may need to be revisited.
The bifurcated trajectory of nation formation in Kurdistan: Democratic confederalism, nationalism, and the crisis of capitalist modernity
Authors: Sunca Yasin 
Published: March 2020

AbstractTwo different sociopolitical projects of nation formation seem to be in praxis in Kurdistan simultaneously: The Kurdistan Region of Iraq aspires to be an independent nation‐state, while the movement led by the Kurdistan Workers' Party advocates a democratic confederal project. How did this bifurcation arise? By putting Abdullah Öcalan's interpretation of nationalism and capitalist modernity in dialogue with existing theories of nationalism, I argue that this bifurcation resulted from a difference in scaling the root causes of the Kurdish question: The former project imagines emancipation through state formation within capitalist modernity, while the latter problematises capitalist modernity itself. The modular and hegemonic expansion of nationalism and the nation‐state along with capitalist modernity has been countered in Mesopotamia by politico‐social multiplicity. This has given rise to the particular structural dynamics that underlie a “recurring failure” in state formation. The bifurcation in question here has emerged interactively against this background.
Detection of subclinical Harlequin syndrome in pediatric patients
Authors: Rovner Michelle S. , Redding Amanda T. , Wolf Bethany Jacobs , Wharton Jeffrey Alexander , Risely Caitlyn J. , Furse Cory M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractBackgroundHarlequin syndrome presents as differences in facial coloring due to unilateral flushing. This is the result of the inability to flush on the affected side due to the disruption of vasomotor and sudomotor sympathetic activity. The neurologically intact side appears flushed. A 2°C temperature difference between the flushed and nonflushed sides of the face has been detected in patients presenting with Harlequin syndrome. This difference in temperature might be detectable even in the absence of unilateral flushing, and this subclinical manifestation of the syndrome may occur more often than realized.AimTo measure and compare the difference in the change in temperature on both sides of the face in patients with a thoracic epidural.MethodsFifteen pediatric patients receiving thoracic epidurals for the correction of pectus excavatum via Nuss procedure were enrolled. Temperature measurements on each side of the face were collected at three time points: prior to epidural placement in the holding area, one hour after epidural analgesia had been instituted, and after the patient awakened in the recovery area. The primary outcome is whether or not a temperature difference occurred between the two sides of the face over time.ResultsComparing the pre‐op temperature change to post‐op temperature change for each side of the face, patient 2 had a large increase in temperature on the left side of the face with a decrease in temperature on the right side of the face. The largest observed difference between the changes in temperature from pre‐op to post‐op between the right and left sides of the face was 1.85°C in patient 2. This was more than two standard deviations from the mean difference in the patient population. Patient 15 also had a large difference in change in temperature from pre‐op to post‐op between the right and left sides of the face with an observed difference of 1.14°C, although this was not more than two standard deviations from the mean. None of the patients had unilateral facial flushing.ConclusionAsymmetric effects or distribution of local anesthetic used in thoracic epidurals may result in asymmetric blockade of efferent sympathetic nervous system activity. This may cause differences in temperature between the two sides of the face without unilateral flushing. This phenomenon has previously been termed subclinical Harlequin syndrome. Subclinical Harlequin syndrome may be more common than anticipated and may be detected by comparing temperature differences in patients.
Mere claptrap jumble? Music and Tudor cheap print
Authors: Hyde Jenni 
Published: March 2020

AbstractA Newe Ballade of a Louer Extollinge his Ladye, published in 1568 by William Griffith, is unusual because it contains a printed melody, ‘Damon and Pithias’. For many years it was seen as the epitome of printers’ incompetence when it came to publishing music. This article suggests that the melody has much in common with other vernacular song tunes of the time, including metrical psalms and thanksgiving songs. It provides possible alternative explanations for the incorrectly rendered musical notation, including the suggestion that the mistake was not necessarily made by the printer himself. It surveys other musical anomalies of the period, to argue that the presence of music on the broadside indicates that Griffith was willing to experiment with new genres. These combined aspects of the most popular vernacular songs of the day in order to appeal to a new market of musically‐literate amateurs.
The future of mobility and its impact on the automobile insurance industry
Authors: Gatzert Nadine , Osterrieder Katrin 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAmong the trends impacting most industries are new mobility concepts, digitalization, urbanization, rising environmental awareness, and demographic change. The automobile insurance industry, in particular, is strongly affected by new mobility concepts, including autonomous, shared, and electric vehicles, which are expected to increasingly impact the risk exposure and insurance demand in the future. Identifying and assessing the resulting risk and opportunity landscape from these trends thus becomes a major strategic challenge for insurers. The aim of this paper is to analyze the trends that impact the field of mobility and thus automobile insurers. Based on this, we derive a set of strategic response measures for insurers to enable them to be prepared for the future of mobility.
Comparison of the effects of hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration on left ventricular hypertrophy in end‐stage renal disease patients: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Hameed Irbaz , Gaudino Mario , Naik Ajita , Rahouma Mohamed , Robinson N. Bryce , Ruan Yongle , Demetres Michelle , Bossola Maurizio 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWhether hemodiafiltration (HDF) is better than conventional hemodialysis (HD) in improving left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), defined as reduction of the left ventricular mass index (LVMi) and increasing the ejection fraction (EF), is unclear. A systematic literature search was performed. Primary outcome was the mean difference between pre‐ and post‐procedural LVMi. Secondary outcome was the mean difference in EF. Seven studies with a total of 845 patients were included. The pooled mean difference between pre‐and post‐procedural LVMi was −8.0 g/m2 (95% confidence interval [CI] −13.1, −2.8). On subgroup analysis, the mean differences between pre‐ and post‐procedural LVMi for HD and HDF were −6.7 g/m2 (95% CI −14.5, 1.1) and −9.3 g/m2 (95% CI −16.3, −2.3), respectively (P for subgroups = .62). Pooled mean difference between pre‐ and post‐procedural EF was 2.4% (95% CI −1.8, 6.5). On subgroup analysis, the mean differences between pre‐ and post‐procedural EF for HD and HDF were 3.6% (95% CI −2.7, 9.8) and 2.0% (95% CI 2.9, 6.8), respectively (P for subgroups = .68). On meta‐regression, age (Beta −0.35 ± 0.05, P < .001) and longer dialysis duration (Beta −0.12 ± 0.02, P < .001) were associated with lower mean difference between pre‐and post‐procedural EF. No significant effects on changes in LVMi and EF were observed with HDF compared with conventional HD.
Prevalence of infections and antimicrobial use among hemodialysis outpatients: A prospective multicenter study
Authors: Wu Yi‐Le , Zhang Jing‐Jing , Li Ruo‐Jie , Cai Chao‐Yang , Zhang Ye‐Hong , Xu Tong‐Mei , Jiang Yan , Xu Li , Yang Li‐Qi , Yang Xi‐Yao 
Published: March 2020

AbstractHemodialysis patients are vulnerable to infectious diseases and frequent receipt of antimicrobial agents. The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of infections and antimicrobials use among hemodialysis outpatients. We utilized the dialysis event surveillance protocol developed by the National Healthcare Safety Network to conduct a prospective multicenter study in Anhui, China. A total of 41 dialysis centers involving 7393 outpatients were included. Fistula was the most common type of vascular access (85.3%), followed by tunneled central line (12.7%), and non‐tunneled central line (1.2%). There were 118 dialysis events with an overall pooled events rate of 1.60 per 100 patient‐months. Intravenous antimicrobial start, positive blood culture, and pus, redness, or increased swelling at the vascular access site were detected at rates of 0.91, 0.23, and 0.46 per 100 patient‐months, respectively. The prevalence of dialysis events was commonly higher in patients with a central line, and lower in patients with a fistula. Hemodialysis outpatients also had the noteworthy risks of nonaccess infections. Older age, female gender, and having a central line were associated with the increased risk of dialysis events. Findings recommend that regular monitoring and improvement strategies are warranted in management of infections among hemodialysis outpatients.
Exploring Work‐Related Characteristics as Predictors of Norwegian Sheep Farmers’ Affective Job Satisfaction
Authors: Muri Karianne , Tufte Per Arne , Coleman Grahame , Moe Randi Oppermann 
Published: March 2020

AbstractFarmers’ satisfaction with their farm job can have far‐reaching implications, as farmer and livestock wellbeing is likely to be intertwined. The aim of this study was to explore how job satisfaction of Norwegian sheep farmers is associated with other work‐related traits, such as work motivation, perceived physical work environment, the performance of management routines, and the proportion of their income derived from farming. Overall, respondents to the questionnaire (n = 1206) reported high levels of job satisfaction, and they were more intrinsically than extrinsically motivated. Regression analyses revealed that the strongest predictor of job satisfaction was intrinsic work motivation. Routinisation of management practices was also positively associated with job satisfaction, whereas extrinsic motivation and negative physical work environment were negatively associated. In conclusion, job satisfaction of Norwegian sheep farmers is mainly predicted by their intrinsic work motivation. Knowledge of this kind can be of use in supporting farmers, and through that enabling them to be proficient stockpeople.
Cofilin‐1–induced actin reorganization in stored platelets
Authors: Dasgupta Swapan K. , Thiagarajan Perumal 
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUNDDuring platelet storage, there are extensive changes in cytoskeleton and phosphatidylserine exposure. The intrinsic mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis, activated in stored platelets, is a major mediator these changes. Cofilin‐1 is an effector of actin reorganization. We examined the effect of cofilin‐1 deficiency on cytoskeleton and phosphatidylserine exposure during storage and following activation of apoptosis.METHODS AND RESULTSWe assessed actin filaments by Alexa‐647‐phalloidin and phosphatidylserine exposure by fluorescein isothiocyanate–lactadherin by fluorescence microscopy. In fresh platelets, actin filaments are distributed in the subcortical region, and they do not express phosphatidylserine in the outer surface. In stored platelets, there is retraction of actin filaments from the subcortical region with increased phosphatidylserine expression. These changes are seen in 20% of platelets of 6 days old and increases further with storage. Treatment with ABT‐737, which activates the mitochondrial apoptosis, induces similar cytoskeletal changes in actin filaments with increased phosphatidylserine. Cofilin‐1 is activated in stored platelets as well as in ABT‐737 treated platelets by dephosphorylation. In cofilin‐1 deficient murine platelets actin filaments are abnormal and ABT‐737 induces less phosphatidylserine. Despite these changes in vitro, platelet survival of cofilin‐1 deficient platelets in mice was not significantly different from their wild‐type controls.CONCLUSIONThese results show that cofilin‐1 plays a role in apoptosis‐induced actin rearrangement and phosphatidylserine exposure during storage. Despite the defects in platelet cytoskeleton and phosphatidylserine exposure in cofilin‐1–deficient platelets, the in vivo life span of platelets is similar to littermate controls, indicating multiple redundant pathways for the clearance of platelets in vivo.