bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant and anti-candida activity of selected medicinal plants of Indian origin
Authors: Prajapati Suneel , Bhardwaj Aarti , Gupta Pankaj 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Introduction
Fungal disseases are the most common opportunistic infection.

Objective
The main aims of the study were to determine phenolic content and to evaluate the antioxidant and anti-candida activity of the selected Indian-origin plant extracts from the fruit pulp, stem, leaves, and seeds of three plants of Indian origin.

Material and methods
The extracts from Terminalia chebula, Thuja occidentalic and Syzygium jambolanum were investigated. The total phenolic content, antioxidant potential of different crude extracts was accessed using the free radical, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS). Anti-candida activity was evaluated using disk diffusion method and broth dilution assay against Candida albicans.

Results
Ethanol and methanol extracts of Indian traditional plants possessed high radical scavenging activity: T. chebula 29.38±0.15, T. occidentalis 6.26±0.24 and S. jambolanum 25.64±0.18 at 0.32 mg/ml. The extracts exhibited good zones of inhibition diameters ranged between: for T. chebula 6.33±0.57 mm and 19.66±1.52 mm in diameter, S. jambolanum 7.00±00 mm and 23.33±1.52 and T. occidentalis 7.66±0.57 and 17.00±1.00 mm. C. albicans were susceptible to all three tested extract at different concentrations. The lowest MIC 1.95 mg/ml was recorded with S. jambolanum while the T. chebula and T. occidentalis inhibited the growth at 3.90 mg/ml, respectively, against the C. albicans.

Conclusion
The study result paves an overall view on the bioactivities of three traditional Indian medicinal plants crude extracts.
The Glocality of the Acta Comparationis Litterarum. Local Interpretations of Educational Freedom, Coercive Innovation and Comparative Literature
Authors: Szabó Levente T. 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

The Present Tasks of Comparative Literature (Vorläufige Aufgaben der Vergleichenden Litteratur) is the most often-cited essay of the first international journal of comparative literature, the ActaComparationis Litterarum Universarum. The article proposes a revision of the generally established explanations of this pioneering text, and traces back the microcultural genealogy of the idea of freedom and autonomy associated with the emerging modern discipline of comparative literature in the essay. In this new intellectual framework both the essay and its broad horizon are interpreted as a glocal interplay of recycled and enthrallingly reinvented transnational ideas.
“DO YOU WANT TO BE KRAMPUS?” Santa Claus, globality and locality of Christmas tradition
Authors: Kürti László 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In this paper the author argues that the Christmas holidays, notwithstanding their international standing as a religious and commercial season, are most productively understood as a glocal phenomena, a concept intended to link the local with the global in a dialectics of homogenization and particularism. Juxtaposing data from Hungary and Eastern Europe, the author provides an anthropological analysis that highlights the transformative power Christmas traditions and Santa Claus have played in diverse cultural settings since the late twentieth-century. For even the imposition of communist ideology, conceived as a globalizing force, failed to eradicate images of Santa Claus; both his persona and that of his devilish imp, Krampus, survived such ruthless attempts at indoctrination with only the slightest of modifications. In view of its economic and cultural significance, this paper argues in favor of international recognition of Saint Nicholas day, December 6th, as a glocal civil holiday.
Juliana v United States of America: The Final Frontier for Climate Litigation in America?
Authors: Meyer Yolandi , Gravet Willem H. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
This article analyses the protracted climate change case of Juliana v United States of America. We consider the history of the case as well as the most recent judgment of the Federal Court of Appeals, which seems to be the final judgment in this case as it is not foreseen that the case will be appealed with any success. The Juliana case provided hope for many people in the United States that the case would be able to succeed and possibly alter climate change policy in the country. Although the latest judgment will be disappointing to climate change activists and those affected by climate change, we agree with the ruling of the majority opinion in the Court of Appeals case and believe that it is a sound legal decision despite its general disapprobation.
A Brief Assessment of the Main Commercial Contracts under the New Romanian Civil Code
Authors: Velicu Dan 
Published: April 2021

Summary
From 2011 Romania has a new Civil Code. Although the government’s initiative was to unify the private law according to the model of the Italian Civil Code of 1942 by repealing the Commercial Code of 1887, the new Civil Code only succeeded in putting together civil rules and commercial rules, the latter being relocated from the former Commercial Code. Obviously, an exhaustive analysis of the new Civil Code is impossible in the frame of a short article. That’s why the author of this study tries to evaluate the new Civil Code regulation by focusing on the main commercial contracts. Some general civil rules that are traditionally applied for centuries in most of the European continental legal systems (e.g. ownership concept, warranty for defects, the buyer’s duty to pay the price etc) will be premeditatedly neglected or just shortly approached. The commercial contracts are very important in the field of the international commercial relations – even between the borders of the European Union –, when in many cases the parties agree that the national law will govern the contract. The goal of the study is to offer a brief commentary on the new institutions together with a comparative presentation of the general regulation of the main commercial agreements.
Offshoring of white-collar jobs: theory and evidence1
Authors: Klimek Artur 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in advanced business services (ABSs), referred to here as the offshoring of white-collar jobs, has become one of the major developments in the operations of multinational corporations (MNCs). However, a specific theoretical approach to this phenomenon has not been adequately defined. In this article, we have two objectives. The first objective is to outline the key elements of the theoretical framework and introduce a simple formal model for business services within MNCs. The second objective is to verify the assumptions of the model in the empirical part. We use the sample of the largest European companies having foreign affiliates. Special attention is paid to Visegrád economies (i.e. Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) as host economies. We applied here a multinomial logistic model, which indicates the probability of having an ABS subsidiary taking into consideration the characteristics of MNCs.
Transanal Total Mesorectal Excision (TaTME): A Literature Review
Authors: Karamanliev Martin P. , Dimitrov Dobromir D. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
Total mesorectal excision (TME) has become the golden standard for treating rectal cancer since Heald introduced it [1]. Transanal total mesorectal excision (taTME) is an innovative surgical method for rectal cancer. A nonsystematic literature review on the articles on taTME in the PubMed and Scopus database was performed. ‘TaTME’ and ‘transanal total mesorectal excision’ keywords were used. The search was restricted to articles in English on more than 25 patients analyzed and followed-up. Fourteen articles were identified, most of them from Europe and China. Of these, eight were original studies, and six were systematic reviews and meta-analyses. TaTME is safe and efficient in experienced hands. It could be superior to laparoscopic total mesorectal excision (laTME) concerning perioperative complications. Its advantages in oncological outcomes over laTME are to be proven in structured randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
Prevalence of Osteopenia and Osteoporosis in Adult Scoliotic Women Assessed with Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA)
Authors: Kirilov Nikola K. , Todorov Svilen H. , Nikolov Nikolay G. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
DXA is a gold-standard method for assessing bone mineral density (BMD) to diagnose osteopenia and osteoporosis. Osteoporosis and degenerative lumbar scoliosis are well-known diseases in adults, which are most often coexistent. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of osteopenia and osteoporosis in 1019 women aged ≥40 years divided into different groups according to the Cobb angle measured from DXA scan images with DICOM software. We found that the incidence of osteoporosis of the lumbar spine and total hip, as well as the incidence of osteopenia of the total hip, increased in the groups according to the Cobb angle. The group with a Cobb angle >10◦ showed the highest prevalence of osteoporosis. According to the Cobb angle, the incidence of osteopenia of the lumbar spine remained similar in the different groups. The results of the current study show that scoliosis has an essential impact on the interpretation of DXA scans. The BMD’s false elevation, respectively, of the T-score of some vertebrae, could lead to an incorrect final diagnosis. In this case, additional assessment of the hip BMD could be useful for a more accurate interpretation of the results based on the lumbar spine BMD.
Planned Nursing Care - A Main Element of Health Care Management for Ischemic Stroke Patients
Authors: Balaburova Meglena M. , Draganova Makreta T. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
Morbidity and mortality rate for stroke and ischemic stroke (IS), in particular, have ranked Bulgaria at a top place in the European Union. In the acute recovery stage of the disease, patients need continuous and personalized health care. The assessment of individual needs and adequate planning for nursing interventions, known as nursing process stages, are the basis of effective care management for patients, surviving ischemic stroke (PSIS). Therefore, the study and application of the nursing process in practice have proved to be an objective prerequisite for improving the quality and development of nursing care for PSIS. The objective of the study was to analyze the opinion of nurses working in clinics/departments of Neurology and Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation in three towns in Northern Bulgaria, on health care (HC) planning for PSIS and the required documentation. A direct anonymous inquiry was carried out, using specially designed questions to investigate the opinion of the respondents on the problems studied. Of the 81 individuals approached, 75 (93%) responded. Of these, 52 (69%) were familiar with the main points of the nursing plan concept, and 34 (65%) had heard about the concept during their basic training in the speciality. According to 67 (89%) of the respondents, a care plan was necessary to increase the health care (HC) efficiency in IS patients. Our results showed that healthcare professionals considered care planning an important tool to ensure continuity, evaluation and control of the care provided. According to the respondents, documenting health care and evaluating the activities performed will contribute to improve the quality of nursing care and promote research into nursing care.
Radical Resection of Cerebellar Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma - A 22-Year Survival: A Case Report
Authors: Valkov Iliya V. , Ovcharov Mladen E. , Mladenovski Milan N. , Vasilev Nikolay V. , Duhlenski Iliya I. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
Juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (JPA) is a low-grade glioma, a most common astrocytoma in young patients. It is a tumor with relatively well-defined margins. Pilocytic astrocytomas (PA) comprise approximately 5-6% of all gliomas. Gross total resection ensures a radical cure of patients and long-time survival. In the literature, the data on the survival rate of more than 20 years is scarce. A 5.5-year old boy with a history of 3-month complaints of headache, dizziness, and vomiting was diagnosed after CT to harbour a hypodense cerebellar tumor mass, situated in the midline-right hemisphere. The compression of the fourth ventricle resulted in rostral hydrocephalus with transependymal resorption. Within a week, a VP shunt was applied, followed by a radical Nafziger-Town operation. Gross total resection of the tumor was achieved. Profound clinical improvement was observed immediately after the operation. Postoperative CT scans, including the ones 22 years after the operation, remained practically normal. The patient is now 28-year old and is a perspective economist now. He leads a healthy working life. In general, the prognosis is excellent. If the tumor is completely removed by surgery, the chances of being “cured” are very high. Pilocytic astrocytoma has a five-year survival rate in over 96 percent in children and young adults, which is one of the highest survival rates of any brain tumor. However, there is even a small percent possibility for malignant transformation (1-4%).
Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery for Rectal Cancer (RALS): A Review of the Literature
Authors: Filipov Emil T. , Ivanov Tsvetomir M. 
Published: April 2021

Summary
Surgical treatment of rectal cancer is still difficult even in big centers. The limited pelvic space, problematic operative exposure, complex surgeries with more common anastomotic complications make the results unsatisfying. After the concept of total mesorectal excision (TME) was introduced by Heald, the results have improved dramatically. Advances in technology added further excitement about awaited promising results. Surgeons tried to apply all new methods to search for the best treatment: – atraumatic, painless, safe, with low recurrence rates, fast recovery, with an acceptable price, and easy to learn or teach. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery (RALS) was introduced to overcome the limitations of conventional laparoscopic and open surgery and improve on their main advantages.
A non-systematic literature review on the articles on RALS in the PubMed and Scopus database was performed. RALS, robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery, and rectal cancer keywords were used. The search was restricted to articles in English, with main endpoints of interest on short-term and long-term surgical results and oncological outcomes. Fifty-seven articles from Europe, the USA, and Asia were identified. RALS was tried in large series in patients with different pathology and showed its values. However, there are still many controversies on its superiority, cost, and advantages. RALS is safe and efficient in experienced hands. It could be superior to conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS). Its advantages in oncological outcomes over CLS are to be proven in structured randomized clinical trials (RCTs).
The Susceptibility of MDR-K. Pneumoniae to Polymyxin B Plus its Nebulised Form Versus Polymyxin B Alone in Critically Ill South Asian Patients
Authors: Hasan Md. Jahidul , Rabbani Raihan , Anam Ahmad Mursel , Santini Ario , Huq Shihan Mahmud Redwanul 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Introduction
Critically ill patients in intensive care units are at high risk of dying not only from the severity of their illness but also from secondary causes such as hospital-acquired infections. USA national medical record-data show that approximately 10% of patients on mechanical ventilation in an intensive care unit developed ventilator-associated pneumonia. Polymyxin B has been used intravenously in the treatment of multi-drug resistant gram-negative infections, either as a monotherapy or with other potentially effective antibiotics, and the recent international guidelines have emphasised the use of nebulised polymyxin B together with intravenous polymyxin B to gain the optimum clinical outcome in ventilator-associated pneumonia cases caused by multi-drug resistant gram-negative infections.

Methods
One hundred and seventy-eight patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia due to multi-drug resistant K. pneumoniae were identified during the study period. Following the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 121 patients were enrolled in the study and randomly allocated to two study groups. Group 1 patients were treated with intravenous Polymyxin B plus nebulised polymyxin B (n=64) and Group 2 patients with intravenous Polymyxin B alone (n=57). The study aimed to compare the use of Polymyxin B plus its nebulised form to polymyxin B alone, in the treatment of MDR-K. pneumoniae associated ventilator-associated pneumonia in critically ill patients.

Results
In Group 1, a complete clearance of K. pneumoniae was found in fifty-nine patients (92.1%; n=64) compared to forty patients (70.1%, n=57) in the Group 2 (P<0.003). The average time till extubation was significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1 (P<0.05). The total length-of-stay in the ICU was significantly higher in Group 2 compared to Group 1. (P<0.05). These results support the view that the Polymyxin B dual-route regime may be considered as an appropriate antibiotic therapy, in critically ill South Asian patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Prognostic Value of Bone Formation and Resorption Proteins in Heterotopic Ossification in Critically-Ill Patients. A Single-Centre Study
Authors: Vassiliou Alice Georgia , Jahaj Edison , Mastora Zafeiria , Karnezis Ioannis , Dimopoulou Ioanna , Orfanos Stylianos E. , Kotanidou Anastasia 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Introduction
A potential complication in critically ill patients is the formation of bone in soft tissues, termed heterotopic ossification. The exact pathogenetic mechanisms are still undetermined. Bone morphogenetic proteins induce bone formation, while signalling through the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-Β (RANK) and its ligand (RANKL), regulates osteoclast formation, activation, and survival in normal bone modelling and remodelling. Osteoprotegerin protects bone from excessive bone loss by blocking RANKL from binding to RANK.

Aim
The study aimed to investigate these molecules as potential prognostic biomarkers of heterotopic ossification development in critically ill patients.

Materials and Methods
In this prospective observational study, BMP-2, RANKL, and osteoprotegerin were measured by ELISA in twenty-eight critically-ill, initially non-septic patients, on admission to an ICU, seven days post-admission, and thirty days after ICU discharge.

Results
In the critically-ill cohort, nine of the twenty-eight patients developed heterotopic ossification up to the 30-day follow-up time-point. The patients who developed heterotopic ossification exhibited significantly reduced BMP-2 and RANKL levels on ICU admission, compared to patients who did not; Osteoprotegerin readings were similar in both groups.

Conclusions
Critically-ill patients who will subsequently develop heterotopic ossification, have significantly lower BMP-2 and RANKL levels at the time of ICU admission, suggesting that these proteins may be useful as prognostic markers for this debilitating condition.
Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Cancer: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Motataianu Anca , Maier Smaranda , Andone Sebastian , Barcutean Laura , Serban Georgiana , Bajko Zoltan , Balasa Adrian 
Published: April 2021

Abstract

Introduction
An increasing trend of cancer associated stroke has been noticed in the past decade.

Objectives
To evaluate the risk factors and the incidence of neoplasia in stroke patients.

Material and Method
A retrospective, observational study was undertaken on 249 patients with stroke and active cancer (SAC) and 1563 patients with stroke without cancer (SWC). The general cardiovascular risk factors, the site of cancer, and the general clinical data were registered and evaluated. According to the “Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project” (OCSP) classification, all patients were classified into the clinical subtypes of stroke. The aetiology of stroke was considered as large-artery atherosclerosis, small vessel disease, cardio-embolic, cryptogenic or other determined cause.

Results
The severity of neurological deficits at admission were significantly higher in the SAC group (p<0.01). The haemoglobin level was significantly lower, and platelet level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were significantly higher in the SAC group. Glycaemia, cholesterol and triglycerides levels were significantly higher in the SWC group. The personal history of hypertension was more frequent in the SWC group. In the SAC group, 28.9% had a cryptogenic aetiology, compared to 9.1% in SWC group. Cardio-embolic strokes were more frequent in the SAC group (24%) than the SWC group (19.6%). In the SAC group, 15,6% were diagnosed with cancer during the stroke hospitalization, and 78% of the SAC patients were without metastasis.

Conclusions
The most frequent aetiologies of stroke in cancer patients were cryptogenic stroke, followed by large-artery atherosclerosis. SAC patients had more severe neurological deficits and worse clinical outcomes than SWC patients. Stroke in cancer patients appears to be more frequently cryptogenic, probably due to cancer associated thrombosis. The association between stroke and cancer is important, especially in stroke of cryptogenic mechanism, even in the presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Practical design of Ku band Vivaldi antenna array
Authors: Prouza Jakub , Raida Zbyněk 
Published: April 2021

Abstract
In the paper, a practical design of a Ku-band Vivaldi antenna array for compact radar system is presented. The realized gain, the beam width, polarization purity and the possible electronic beamforming in the horizontal plane were the most important requirements. Since the array was requested to show an enhanced mechanical stability, a novel geometry of elements was proposed. The Vivaldi slot was created on two substrates connected by metallic vias suppressing surface currents, and the microstrip feeder was placed in-between those substrates. Simulations are based on special approach in CST Microwave using infinite array of antenna elements, which should reduce computing time.