bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fueling the Fire: Inflammatory Forms of Cell Death and Implications for Cancer Immunotherapy
Authors: Rosenbaum Sheera R. , Wilski Nicole A. , Aplin Andrew E. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract

Unleashing the immune system with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) has significantly improved overall survival for subsets of patients with stage III/IV cancer. However, many tumors are nonresponsive to ICIs, in part due to a lack of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). Converting these immune “cold” tumors to “hot” tumors that are thus more likely to respond to ICIs is a major obstacle for cancer treatment. Triggering inflammatory forms of cell death, such as necroptosis and pyroptosis, may alter the tumor immune microenvironment and the influx of TILs. We present an emerging view that promoting tumor-localized necroptosis and pyroptosis may ultimately enhance responses to ICI.

Significance:
Many tumor types respond poorly to ICIs or respond but subsequently acquire resistance. Effective therapies for ICI-nonresponsive tumors are lacking and should be guided by evidence from preclinical studies. Promoting inflammatory cell death mechanisms within the tumor may alter the local immune microenvironment toward an ICI-responsive state.
The morphology of the parasitic isopod Tachaea chinensis (Isopoda, Cymothoida) revealed through scanning electron microscopy and histological analysis
Authors: Li Xin , Chen Qijun , Li Yingdong 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Parasitic isopods have negative effects on several commercially important fishes and crustaceans. However, studies on these parasites, especially on their morphology, are limited. In the present study, scanning electron microscopy and simultaneous histological analysis were carried out to examine the external structure and composition of the internal organs of Tachaea chinensis (Isopoda, Corallanidae). Seven pairs of pereopods are sharp and hook-like, which are used for attaching to the host. Four pairs of the paddle-shaped pleopods indicate that it has the ability to swim freely. Analysis of the mouth appendages revealed that T. chinensis mainly feeds on the host’s blood. Moreover, we found numerous glands, including the salivary glands and hepatopancreas, in the coelom; loose connective tissue was also found in the ventral body cavity, which appeared to be a vestigial gonad. In addition, the description of the gland also provides valuable empirical data for future research.
Is the Term “Savar” in the Babylonian Talmud Ever Used to Indicate an Opinion that Is Not Ultimately Rejected?
Authors: Sabato Mordechai 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
The term “savar” in the Babylonian Talmud indicates an opinion that is ultimately rejected. According to some Rishonim, however, in certain places this term introduces an opinion that is not rejected. This article examines these instances and concludes that indeed in these places the term “savar” is references an opinion that is not ultimately rejected. In most of these places, the reading in most of the textual witnesses was emended, and the word “savar” was erased, apparently in accordance with the other approach. In those places where the text was not emended, some of the commentators interpreted the passage not in accordance with its plain meaning, and, according to their interpretation, the opinion that was introduced by the “savar” was indeed rejected.
Reimagining the icc: Exploring Practitioners’ Perspectives on the Effectiveness of the International Criminal Court
Authors: Muhammad Samaria , Holá Barbora , Dirkzwager Anja 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
This exploratory study documents International Criminal Court (icc) personnel’s perspectives on the effectiveness of the icc. It examines practitioner views on the icc’s goals, strengths, weaknesses, and effectiveness. Interviews with nine professionals from the Office of the Prosecutor, Defense, and Chambers reveal several themes. Professionals agreed upon the icc’s greatest strengths: its foundation and its symbolic value. They also named common weaknesses, including its reliance on state cooperation, challenges in administrative functions, and, from the perspective of largely Defense personnel, an unfair disadvantage against the Defense. While personnel often agreed upon which factors needed improvement, they diverged on precisely how to improve them. However, they alluded to several potential paths forward. Interviews ultimately suggested the Court has several areas requiring improvement, but a solid foundation and considerable potential. These interviews coincide with ongoing reviews of the Court, providing a fuller picture of its effectiveness.
Minecrafting Bar Mitzvah: Two Rabbis Negotiating and Cultivating Learner-Driven Inclusion through New Media
Authors: Gottlieb Owen 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
In 2013, a boy with special needs used the video game Minecraft to deliver the sermon at his bar mitzvah at a Reform synagogue, an apparently unique ritual phenomenon to this day. Using a narrative inquiry approach, this article examines two rabbis’ negotiations with new media, leading up to, during, and upon reflection after the event. The article explores acceptance, innovation, and validation of new media in religious practice, drawing on Campbell’s (2010) framework for negotiation of new media in religious communities. Clergy biography, philosophy, and institutional context all impact the negotiations with new media. By providing context of a set of factors influencing a particular negotiation and validation of a ritual and educational innovation using new media, the article intends to demonstrate the importance of clergy narrative for understanding new media negotiations in religious settings, and in particular in progressive religious communities
Judgements of the Duration of Auditory and Visual Stimuli
Authors: Wearden John H. , Jones Luke A. 
Published: January 2021

Abstract
Studies of judgements of the durations of filled auditory and visual stimuli were reviewed, and some previously unpublished data were analysed. Data supported several conclusions. Firstly, auditory stimuli have longer subjective durations than visual ones, with visual stimuli commonly being judged as having 80–90% of the duration of auditory ones. Secondly, the effect was multiplicative, with the auditory/visual difference increasing as the intervals became longer. Only a small number of exceptions to both these conclusions were found. Thirdly, differences in variability between judgements of auditory and visual stimuli derived from most procedures were small and sometimes not statistically significant, although differences almost always involved visual stimuli producing more variable judgements. Currently, the most viable explanation of the effects appears to be some sort of pacemaker-counter model with higher pacemaker speed for auditory stimuli, although this approach cannot, in its present form, deal quantitatively with all the findings usually obtained.
Dual Geostationary Lightning Mapper Observations
Authors: Rudlosky Scott D. , Virts Katrina S. 
Published: January 2021

AbstractTwo Geostationary Lightning Mappers (GLMs) now observe spatial and temporal lightning distributions over a vast region. The GOES-16 GLM covers most land areas in the Western Hemisphere, and detects ~4 times as much lightning as the GOES-17 GLM. Although the continents dominate the lightning distributions year-round, each season exhibits widespread lightning over parts of the Atlantic Ocean and within three broad regions over the Pacific. These oceanic regions demonstrate the key role convective organization plays in producing larger, longer-lasting, and more energetic flashes observed by both GLMs over the oceans. Texture within the flash densities reveals a close relationship with the underlying topography, underscored by the complex diurnal cycles observed along coastlines and in mountainous regions. GLM information beyond flash frequency provides additional insights into storm mode and evolution. For example, over the Sierra Madre Occidental, time series reveal initially small, short-duration GLM flashes growing larger and longer as storms grow upscale. These mesoscale convective systems often transition offshore, contributing to an average flash area maximum over the eastern Pacific. Data quality improves during the study period with tuning of the ground system software. GLM artifacts due to solar intrusion and sun glint greatly diminish following the blooming filter installation, and the second-level threshold filter reduces false events along particular subarray boundaries (i.e., bar artifacts). Analysis of the overlap region reveals a pronounced north–south line near 103°W, with the GOES-16 (GOES-17) GLM detecting more flashes to the east (west) of this line.
Using Multi-Arm Designs to Test Operating Welfare-to-Work Programs
Authors: Gueron Judith M. , Hamilton Gayle 
Published: January 2021

Background: In the early 1970s, most researchers thought that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) could not be used to measure the effectiveness of large-scale operating welfare reform and employment programs. By the mid-1970s, the Supported Work Demonstration showed that, under certain conditions, this was both feasible and valuable. However, the experimental design was simple; a multi-arm test had been rejected as unrealistic. Within 10 years, a three-arm design was implemented in San Diego to assess both a welfare-to-work program’s overall impact and the contribution of a specific component. Less than 10 years later, the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS)/National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies (NEWWS) study used a more complex design to determine the relative effectiveness of two strategies operated in the same locations: one emphasizing getting a job quickly and the other requiring basic education. In San Diego and JOBS/NEWWS, the tested reforms emerged from political processes and were funded through regular program budgets. In both cases, researchers inserted multi-arm RCTs into operating welfare offices, trading control over the treatment for scale (thousands of people) and real-world conditions. Both RCTs were successfully implemented. Objectives and Results: This article examines why multi-arm designs were attempted, how they were structured, why public administrators cooperated, what various actors sought to learn, and how the researchers determined what strategies the different experimental arms ended up to truly represent. The article concludes that these designs provide convincing evidence and can be inserted into operating programs if the studies address questions that are of keen and immediate interest to state or local program administrators and researchers.
Supervised physical therapy versus unsupervised exercise for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Minetama Masakazu , Kawakami Mamoru , Teraguchi Masatoshi , Kagotani Ryohei , Mera Yoshimasa , Sumiya Tadashi , Nakagawa Masafumi , Yamamoto Yoshio , Matsuo Sachika , Sakon Nana , Nakatani Tomohiro , Kitano Tomoko , Nakagawa Yukihiro 
Published: January 2021

Objective: To compare the 1-year outcomes of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis treated with supervised physical therapy or unsupervised exercise. Design: A single-center randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation, blinded assessor and intention-to-treat analysis. Setting: Spine care center. Subjects: A total of 86 patients presenting with symptoms of neurogenic claudication caused by lumbar spinal stenosis. Interventions: The physical therapy group received supervised physical therapy sessions twice a week for 6 weeks and home exercise program. The home exercise group received 6-week home exercise program only. Main measures: The primary outcome was symptom severity on the Zurich claudication questionnaire at 1 year. Secondary outcomes included physical function, pain, health-related quality of life and the surgery rate after 1 year. Results: At 1 year, more patients in the physical therapy group than in the home exercise group achieved minimum clinically important differences in Zurich claudication questionnaire symptom severity (60.5% vs 32.6%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 4.3, [95% CI [1.5–12.3], P = 0.01); Zurich claudication questionnaire physical function (55.8% vs 32.6%; AOR 3.0 [1.1–8.1], P = 0.03); SF-36 bodily pain (48.8% vs 25.6%; AOR 2.8 [1.1–7.3], P = 0.03), and SF-36 general health (20.9% vs 7.0%; AOR 6.1 [1.1–33.0], P = 0.04). The surgery rate at 1 year was lower in the physical therapy than in the home exercise group (7.0% vs 23.3%; AOR 0.2 [0.04–0.9] P = 0.04). Conclusions: Supervised physical therapy produced greater improvements in symptom severity and physical function than unsupervised exercise and was associated with lower likelihood of receiving surgery within 1 year.
Effectiveness of epidural steroid injection in patients with lumbar herniated intervertebral disc under a “wait-and-see” policy
Authors: Kim Bo Ram , Lee Joon Woo , Lee Eugene , Kang Yusuhn , Ahn Joong Mo , Kang Heung Sik 
Published: January 2021

Background There are no consensus and guidelines on the optimal interval of repeat epidural steroid injections (ESI) for patients with lumbar herniated intervertebral disc (HIVD) who respond to initial ESI. Purpose To evaluate the effectiveness of ESI in patients with HIVD under a “wait-and-see” policy, i.e. as-needed injections not on a predetermined schedule. Material and Methods A total of 592 patients with lumbar HIVD received spine injections between January and December 2017. After excluding patients with excellent (no pain) or poor (>70% residual symptoms) response in the two- or three-week pain assessment, the data of 141 responders were analyzed (60 men, 73 women; age = 50.55±17.25 years). We divided patients into wait-and-see (n=124) and early repeat-ESI (n=17) groups, who received repeat ESIs within three weeks. Evaluations of characteristics and outcomes were performed with the chi-square test or independent Student’s t-test. Results Six patients (4.8%) in the wait-and-see group and 1 (5.9%) in the early repeat-ESI group underwent operation within one year ( P=0.85). A mean of 1.52±0.82 ESIs was performed in the wait-and-see and a mean of 2.29±0.47 ESIs in the early repeat-ESI group over one year ( P<0.001). The time interval between the first and second ESIs was longer in the wait-and-see group than in the early repeat-ESI group (97.15 vs. 15.47 days, P<0.001). Seventy-eight patients (62.9%) in the wait-and-see group could control their pain with a single ESI. Conclusion A “wait-and-see” policy could be an effective pain management option for patients with lumbar HIVD who respond to initial ESI.
Video-assisted anal fistula treatment combined with anal fistula plug for treatment of horseshoe anal fistula
Authors: Zhang Yuru , Li Fei , Zhao Tuanjie , Cao Feng , Zheng Yamin , Li Ang 
Published: January 2021

Objective Horseshoe anal fistula is a common anorectal disease, and there is no standard procedure for its treatment. In this study, we performed a modified surgical procedure for the treatment of horseshoe anal fistula and investigated its efficacy and adverse effects. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of video-assisted anal fistula treatment combined with an anal fistula plug (VAAFT-Plug) in 26 patients with a horseshoe anal fistula. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 18 months. Preoperative and postoperative data were collected to analyze the cure rate, anal sphincter function, and incidence of complications. Results The surgeries were successfully performed in all patients, 23 of whom were cured (effective cure rate of 88.46%). Three patients developed recurrence and were cured after traditional surgery. No patients developed severe complications or postoperative anal incontinence. The VAAFT-Plug protocol was performed with a small incision in the fistula that subsequently promoted fistula healing and preserved sphincter function. Conclusion Although randomized controlled trials will be needed to fully validate these findings, our results suggest that VAAFT-Plug represents a promising treatment strategy for horseshoe anal fistulas. This technique preserves normal anal function and achieves satisfactory outcomes in most patients.
Detection of Medication Errors Through Medication History Assessment During Admission at General Medical Wards
Authors: Oh Ai Ling , Tan Andrew Gerald Hua Kiong , Chieng Irene Yee Yew 
Published: January 2021

Introduction: Medication history assessment during hospital admissions is an important element in the medication reconciliation process. It ensures continuity of care and reduces medication errors. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the incidence of unintentional discrepancies (medication errors), types of medication errors with its potential severity of patient harm and acceptance rate of pharmaceutical care interventions. Methods: A four-month cross-sectional study was conducted in the general medical wards of a tertiary hospital. All newly admitted patients with at least one prescription medication were recruited via purposive sampling. Medication history assessments were done by clinical pharmacists within 24 hours or as soon as possible after admission. Pharmacist-acquired medication histories were then compared with in-patient medication charts to detect discrepancies. Verification of the discrepancies, interventions, and assessment of the potential severity of patient harm resulting from medication errors were collaboratively carried out with the treating doctors. Results: There were 990 medication discrepancies detected among 390 patients recruited in this study. One hundred and thirty-five (13.6%) medication errors were detected in 93 (23.8%) patients (1.45 errors per patient). These were mostly contributed by medication omissions (79.3%), followed by dosing errors (9.6%). Among these errors, 88.2% were considered “significant” or “serious” but none were “life-threatening.” Most (83%) of the pharmaceutical interventions were accepted by the doctors. Conclusion: Medication history assessment by pharmacists proved vital in detecting medication errors, mostly medication omissions. Majority of the errors intervened by pharmacists were accepted by the doctors which prevented potential significant or serious patient harm.
A Review of Pharmacologic Neurostimulant Use During Rehabilitation and Recovery After Brain Injury
Authors: Kakehi Sumie , Tompkins Danielle M. 
Published: January 2021

Objective: To describe the efficacy and safety of pharmacologic neurostimulants after neurological injuries such as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI), critically evaluate the available literature, and make recommendations regarding which neurostimulants should be considered for use in clinical practice. Data Sources: A literature search of PubMed was performed (1953 to October 2020) to identify relevant articles. Search terms included the following: “neurostimulant, neurorehabilitation” AND “traumatic brain injury, cerebrovascular accident, or stroke.” This review is limited to prospective studies and observational trials. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Relevant English-language studies conducted in humans were considered. Data Synthesis: Cognitive and motor deficits caused by stroke and TBI account for high rates of long-term disability. Although not well-established, pharmacologic agents, broadly characterized as neurostimulants, may be prescribed after brain injury to treat these deficits. When prescribing these medications, it is imperative to be aware of the supporting evidence in order to accurately gauge the risk-benefit profile of each agent. Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: The following presents a literature review critically evaluating clinical studies that investigate neurostimulant use after brain injury. The intent of this review is to serve as an evidence-based guide for clinicians. Conclusions: The pharmacologic agent with the most supporting literature is amantadine used for cognitive improvement after TBI. Other neurostimulants with positive, despite more limited, evidence include methylphenidate, modafinil, levodopa, and citalopram. Caution is warranted with other neurostimulants given higher rates of adverse effects or lack of benefit observed in clinical trials.
Evaluating the incidence of engraftment syndrome with different melphalan formulations in adult multiple myeloma and immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis patients undergoing autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Kowalski Kaitlyn E , Wheeler Sarah E , Adams C Brooke , Voils Stacy A , Richards Ashley I 
Published: January 2021

Background Engraftment syndrome (ES) is a common complication of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). The difference in incidence of ES between melphalan formulations has not been widely reported throughout the literature and would allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of both melphalan formulations. Patients and methods This retrospective, single-center, observational study evaluated 83 adult multiple myeloma and immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis patients who received either propylene glycol-containing (PG) or propylene glycol-free (PG-free) melphalan 140 mg/m2 as single-agent conditioning chemotherapy for autologous HCT from May 31, 2015 to May 31, 2019. The primary outcome was to assess the incidence of ES, as defined using the Maiolino criteria, with both melphalan formulations. Secondary outcomes included an analysis of potential risk factors for the development of ES, as well as an evaluation of overall length of stay (LOS). Results The incidence of ES for PG and PG-free melphalan did not differ significantly, 14/39 (35.9%) and 12/44 (27.3%) (P = 0.4), respectively. No potential risk factors for ES were identified on multivariate logistic regression analysis. A statistically significant difference in number of days to engraftment was identified for PG and PG-free melphalan, 15.56 vs. 13.82 days (P = 0.01), respectively; although, this did not translate to a decrease in LOS, 19.9 vs. 18.59 days (P = 0.14). Conclusions The incidence of ES did not differ significantly between melphalan formulations. Future research is needed to determine whether the faster time to engraftment seen with PG-free melphalan may translate to a decrease in LOS.