bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Evaluating a complex intervention addressing ability to perform activities of daily living among persons with chronic conditions: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial (ABLE)
Authors: Hagelskjær Vita , Nielsen Kristina Tomra , von Bulow Cecilie , Oestergaard Lisa Gregersen , Graff Maud , Wæhrens Eva Ejlersen 
Published: November 2021

IntroductionThe need to develop and evaluate interventions, addressing problems performing activities of daily living (ADL) among persons with chronic conditions, is evident. Guided by the British Medical Research Council’s guidance on how to develop and evaluate complex interventions, the occupational therapy programme (ABLE) was developed and feasibility tested. The aim of this protocol is to report the planned design and methods for evaluating effectiveness, process and cost-effectiveness of the programme.Methods and analysisThe evaluation is designed as a randomised controlled trial with blinded assessors and investigators. Eighty participants with chronic conditions and ADL problems are randomly allocated to ABLE or usual occupational therapy. Data for effectiveness and cost-effectiveness evaluations are collected at baseline (week 0), post intervention (week 10) and follow-up (week 26). Coprimary outcomes are self-reported ADL ability (ADL-Interview (ADL-I) performance) and observed ADL motor ability (Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS)). Secondary outcomes are perceived satisfaction with ADL ability (ADL-I satisfaction); and observed ADL process ability (AMPS). Explorative outcomes are occupational balance (Occupational Balance Questionnaire); perceived change (Client-Weighted Problems Questionnaire) and general health (first question of the MOS 36-item Short Form Survey Instrument). The process evaluation is based on quantitative data from registration forms and qualitative interview data, collected during and after the intervention period. A realist evaluation approach is applied. A programme theory expresses how context (C) and mechanisms (M) in the programme may lead to certain outcomes (O), in so-called CMO configurations. Outcomes in the cost-effectiveness evaluation are quality-adjusted life years (EuroQool 5-dimension) and changes in ADL ability (AMPS, ADL-I). Costs are estimated from microcosting and national registers.Ethics and disseminationDanish Data Protection Service Agency approval: Journal-nr.: P-2020-203. The Ethical Committee confirmed no approval needed: Journal-nr.: 19 045 758. Dissemination for study participants, in peer-reviewed journals and conferences.Trial registration numberNCT04295837
Impact of a public health intervention for active surveillance and mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 in a district from Buenos Aires province, Argentina: a descriptive epidemiological study
Authors: Crudo Favio , Fernández Mariana , Rodríguez Fermepín Marcelo , Entrocassi Andrea Carolina , Cardone Karina Angela , Spina Markmann Fernando , Periago Maria Victoria , Chuit Roberto , Abril Marcelo Claudio 
Published: November 2021

BackgroundThe first case of SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Argentina on 3 March 2020. Measures to limit the spread of the virus were implemented, including complete lockdown (26 March). Nonetheless, the virus spread throughout the country, with a first peak of almost a million cases in October. On 30 November, the government’s recommendation switched from social, preventive and compulsory isolation, to social, preventive and compulsory distancing.ObjectivesTo describe a tailored public health strategy to mitigate the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and determine its behaviour in San Antonio de Areco district from Buenos Aires province (Argentina) through a private–public association.Design, setting and participantsSurveillance of the virus was performed with the local healthcare system, through early identification of cases and the systematic study of each infected individual and contact, regardless of symptomatology, using telemedicine and a COVID-19-specific outpatient clinic. Real-time PCR was used for detection using both individual and pooled samples, with a 12-hour turnaround time.ResultsUp to 30 November, a total of 2426 suspected cases were analysed and 578 were confirmed. Surveillance of health personnel and at-risk populations proved effective, mitigating viral spread. Pooling samples allowed reduction of operator time, helped reduce costs, and allowed detection of both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases.ConclusionAfter 8 months of protocol implementation, the strategy to intensively survey groups at higher epidemiological risk and the systematic search for asymptomatic cases with the incorporation of pooled PCR for diagnosis, in combination with individual testing, is an efficient and viable option in populations with similar characteristics, in the frame of social isolation.
COVID-19 outcomes among adult patients treated with long-term opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain in the USA: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Tuan Wen-Jan , Spotts Hannah , Zgierska Aleksandra E , Lennon Robert P 
Published: November 2021

ObjectivePatients treated with long-term opioid therapy (LTOT) are known to have compromised immune systems and respiratory function, both of which make them particularly susceptible to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The objective of this study was to assess the risk of developing severe clinical outcomes among COVID-19 non-cancer patients on LTOT, compared with those without LTOT.Design and data sourcesA retrospective cohort design using electronic health records in the TriNetX research database.Participants and setting418 216 adults diagnosed with COVID-19 in January–December 2020 from 51 US healthcare organisations: 9558 in the LTOT and 408 658 in the control cohort. They did not have cancer diagnoses; only a small proportion might have been treated with opioid maintenance for opioid use disorder.ResultsPatient on LTOT had a higher risk ratio (RR) than control patients to visit an emergency department (RR 2.04, 95% CI 1.93 to 2.16) and be hospitalised (RR 2.91, 95% CI 2.69 to 3.15). Once admitted, LTOT patients were more likely to require intensive care (RR 3.65, 95% CI 3.10 to 4.29), mechanical ventilation (RR 3.47, 95% CI 2.89 to 4.15) and vasopressor support (RR 5.28, 95% CI 3.70 to 7.53) and die within 30 days (RR 1.96, 95% CI 1.67 to 2.30). The LTOT group also showed increased risk (RRs from 2.06 to 3.98, all significant to 95% CI) of more-severe infection (eg, cough, dyspnoea, fever, hypoxaemia, thrombocytopaenia and acute respiratory distress syndrome). Statistically significant differences in several laboratory results and other vital signs appeared clinically negligible.ConclusionCOVID-19 patients on LTOT were at higher risk of increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare utilisation. Interventions to reduce the need for LTOT and to increase compliance with COVID-19 protective measures may improve outcomes and reduce healthcare cost in this population. Prospective studies need to confirm and refine these findings.
Development of an optimal grocery list based on actual intake from a cross-sectional study of First Nations adults in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Batal Malek , Kenny Tiff-Annie , Johnson-Down Louise , Ing Amy , Fediuk Karen , Sadik Tonio , Chan Hing Man , Willows Noreen 
Published: November 2021

A multi-stage sampling strategy selected 1387 on-reserve First Nations adults in Ontario. Foods from a 24-hour dietary recall were assigned to the 100 most common food groups for men and women. Nutrients from market foods (MF) and traditional foods (TF) harvested from the wild as well as MF costs were assigned based on the proportions of total grams consumed. Linear programming was performed imposing various constraints to determine whether it was possible to develop diets that included the most popular foods while meeting Institute of Medicine guidelines. Final models were obtained for both sexes with the top 100 food groups consumed while limiting the nutrient-poor foods to no more than the actual observed intake. These models met all nutrient constraints for men but those for dietary fibre, linoleic acid, phosphorus, and potassium were removed for women. MF costs were obtained from community retailers and online resources. A grocery list was then developed and MF were costed for a family of 4. The grocery list underestimated the actual weekly food cost because TF was not included. Contemporary observed diets deviated from healthier historic First Nations diets. A culturally appropriate diet would include more traditional First Nations foods and fewer MF.Novelty: Linear programming is a mathematical approach to evaluating the diets of First Nations. The grocery list is representative of food patterns within Ontario First Nations and can be used as an alternative to the nutritious food basket used for public health food costing.
Transgenerational impact of topical steroid application on superoxide dismutase activities of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis in rats
Authors: Polat Seher , Caner Armağan 
Published: November 2021

Topical steroids (TS) have been widely prescribed since the 1950s. This study investigated for the first time the transgenerational effects of TS on the antioxidant mechanism of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, both in prenatal and infancy. Three generations (F1, F2, and F3) and prenatal group (P) were investigated in both sexes with two different time points; P45th and P75th day were accepted as puberty and early adulthood, respectively. Clobetasol propionate 0.05% was used as TS. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to expressional analyses of Sod1, Sod2, and Sod3 genes in the HPA tissues. The Sod mRNA expression of the HPA belonging to P and F1 groups revealed similar results in both genders. The downregulation in the adrenal Sod level was determined in P and F1, F2, and F3 generations in both genders, especially in females (p < 0.05). The Sod activities in the pituitary of all groups were downregulated in female rats (p < 0.05). Interestingly, in male rats, Sod2 and Sod3 were not expressed in the pituitary compared with the control on the day P45, while Sod2 and Sod3 expressions were determined in all the groups on day P75. Sod1 overexpression was found in pituitary and hypothalamus of males in the F3 generation. This study showed that TS applied in infancy had a transgenerational adverse effect on antioxidant defense mechanisms, especially in the adrenal gland.
Irisin relaxes rat thoracic aorta: MEK1/2 signaling pathway, KV channels, SKCa channels, and BKCa channels are involved in irisin-induced vasodilation
Authors: Demirel Sadettin , Sahinturk Serdar , Isbil Naciye , Ozyener Fadil 
Published: November 2021

This study investigated the effects of irisin on vascular smooth muscle contractility in rat thoracic aorta, and the hypothesis that mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK1/2) signaling pathway, voltage-gated potassium (KV) channels, small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SKCa) channels, and large-conductance calcium-activated potassium (BKCa) channels may have roles in these effects. Isometric contraction-relaxation responses of isolated thoracic aorta rings were measured with an organ bath model. The steady contraction was induced with 10–5 M phenylephrine (PHE), and then the concentration-dependent responses of irisin (10−9−10−6 M) were examined in endothelium-intact and -denuded rat thoracic aortas. Also, the effects of irisin incubations on PHE-mediated contraction and acetylcholine (ACh) – mediated relaxation were studied. Irisin exerted the vasorelaxant effects in both endothelium-intact and -denuded aortic rings at concentrations of 10–8, 10–7, and 10–6 M compared with the control groups (p < 0.001). Besides, pre-incubation of aortic rings with irisin (10 nM, 100 nM, or 1 µM for 30 min) augmented ACh-mediated (10–9–10–5) vasodilation in PHE-precontracted thoracic aorta segments but did not modulate PHE-mediated (10–9–10–5) contraction. In addition, MEK1/2 inhibitor U0126, KV channel blocker XE-991, SKCa channel blocker apamin, and BKCa channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA) incubations significantly inhibited the irisin-induced relaxation responses. In conclusion, the first physiological findings were obtained regarding the functional relaxing effects of irisin in rat thoracic aorta. The findings demonstrated that irisin induces relaxation responses in endothelium-intact and (or) endothelium-denuded aortic rings in a concentration-dependent manner. Furthermore, this study is the first to report that irisin-induced relaxation responses are related to the activity of the MEK1/2 pathway, KV channels, and calcium-activated K+ (SKCa and BKCa) channels.
A Comparative Study of Two Types of Implantation Surgery Methods for Implantable Collamer Lenses
Authors: Liu Hao , Dong Denghao , Chen Chunlin , Ye Jian 
Published: November 2021

Purpose. To investigate the effects of two different surgical methods of implantable collamer lens (ICL) implantation on the operation time, visual outcomes, corneal endothelial cell count, and intraocular pressure (IOP). Methods. This was a contralateral eye comparison study, a total of 192 eyes from 96 patients were included, and the two eyes from the same patient were randomly assigned to two groups (group 1 and group 2, with 96 eyes in each group). In group 1, after making the corneal incision, ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs) were first injected into the anterior chamber followed by ICL implantation. In group 2, the ICL was first implanted into the anterior chamber followed by OVDs injection. The operation time, uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, spherical equivalent, corneal endothelial cell count, and IOP were recorded and analyzed. Results. The operative time in group 1 was significantly longer than that in group 2 (

P

= 0.002 < 0.05). There were significant differences between IOP measured 2 hours following surgery of the two groups (

P

= 0.026 < 0.05), Furthermore, the rate of IOP change 2 hours following the operation was significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (

P

= 0.019 < 0.05). There were significant differences in the anterior chamber angle 2 hours after surgery compared with that before surgery in both groups (

P

= 0.014 < 0.05 and

P

= 0.029 < 0.05, respectively). No significant differences were observed in the other parameters measured (all

P

> 0.05). Conclusion. The two ICL implantation methods had similar clinical outcomes and effects on the corneal endothelial cell count. Additionally, the implantation of an intraocular lens prior to injecting OVDs reduces the operation time and lowers the rate of IOP rise in the early postoperative period, making it safe and effective for ICL implantation.
Clinical Characteristics of Lamellar Macular Hole Subtypes: Degenerative and Tractional
Authors: Kim Joseph , Min Joon Ki , Kim Se Young , Yoon Myung Hun , Chin Hee Seung 
Published: November 2021

Purpose. To analyze clinical parameters of two subtypes of lamellar macular hole (LMH): degenerative and tractional. Methods. This retrospective chart review study included patients monitored for more than 6 months after the initial diagnosis of LMH from January 2011 to January 2018. LMH was classified in two subtypes: degenerative and tractional. The following parameters between both subtypes were assessed: central subfield thickness (CST), maximum inner diameter (MID), maximum outer diameter (MOD), MID/MOD ratio, inner and outer segment (IS/OS) junction disruption, residual retinal thickness (RRT), subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), anatomical progression rate, and percentage of patients undergoing surgery. Results. This study included 51 eyes with a mean follow-up period of 18.94 months: 33 eyes with tractional LMH and 18 eyes with degenerative LMH. MID was not significantly different between both subtypes but MOD was significantly greater in tractional LMH than degenerative types (tractional, 1131.6 μm; degenerative, 708.9 μm;

p

< 0.001). The MID were significantly increased in degenerative eyes, while the tractional eyes featured a significant increase in MOD. BCVA was not significantly different between both subtypes at baseline and the last follow-up. Epiretinal membrane presence was significantly different between the two subtypes (tractional, 96.9%; degenerative, 22.2%;

p

< 0.001). Ellipsoid defect and rate of receiving surgery were not significantly different between both subtypes. The anatomical progression rate in tractional eyes (81.8%) was significantly higher than that of degenerative LMH (27.7%) (

p

= 0.010). The SFCT was correlated to anatomical progression in the tractional LMH (correlation coefficient = 0.351,

p

= 0.049) but not in the degenerative LMH. During the follow-up period, 4 eyes (22.2%) of the degenerative LMH and 11 eyes (33.3%) of the tractional LMH underwent surgery. Conclusions. We found that greater SFCT at baseline was correlated to anatomical progression of tractional LMH. Therefore, it is expected that SFCT could be used as a biomarker to predict anatomical progression in tractional LMH.
Cohen über Spinoza: Das Denken der Natur und die Natur des Denkens
Authors: Bertolino Luca 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This analysis of Cohen’s reception of Spinoza’s thought draws attention to theoretical issues: the nature of thinking and the thinking of nature. In a synoptic way it refers to several of Cohen’s works, trying to determine continuity and discontinuity in his interpretation of Spinoza, with a specific focus on Ethica ordine geometrico demonstrata. Thus, Cohen’s reception of Spinoza’s thought seems to be characterized by a continuity similar to what we can find in Cohen’s philosophical system as a whole. Discrepancies in his interpretation of Spinoza correspond to a progressive refinement of his own speculative approach.
Luria, Schelling, and Freud: From Zimzum to the Oedipus Complex
Authors: Sharvit Gilad 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
In contrast to previous attempts to establish a direct relation between Freud and Kabbalah, this article argues for an indirect relationship mediated by way of Schelling’s philosophy. My claim is that Freud’s Oedipus complex partly originated in Schelling’s idea of God’s contraction, which he arguably derived from the Lurianic doctrine of zimzum. Furthermore, in thinking of the oedipal complex, and of repression more generally, as a late development of the Lurianic and Schellingian imagination of what I call “productive negativity,” I suggest that an important conceptual horizon is opened for the Freudian concept, one that transcends the widespread but narrow formulation of repression as a retroactive and regressive mental mechanism.
Marduk’s Basket and the Heavenly Treasury: Comparing Charity in the Dialogue of Pessimism and Sirach
Authors: Geist Andrew 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
The article treats the value of economic generosity (usātu) in the Babylonian Dialogue of Pessimism and compares it to almsgiving in the biblical book of Sirach. It attempts to resolve a longstanding obscurity: whether usātu is placed in Marduk’s “ring” (kippatu) or “basket” (qappatu). External evidence suggests that, while both readings have support and a similar theological significance, the reading “basket” (qappatu) is preferable and should be related to the temple quppu, “cash box,” used for collecting donations. The article then addresses the relevance of mortality to the Dialogue’s discussion of doing usātu. Appeal to other Akkadian wisdom literature suggests that doing usātu was connected with a reward of extra life. An analysis of the theological structure of usātu in the Dialogue and Akkadian wisdom literature leads to a comparison with the theology of almsgiving and the heavenly treasury in Ben Sira and other Second Temple Jewish literature.
Heroic Mother and Wise Wife
Authors: Wang Di 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Thirteenth-century sources provide us with striking images of Mongol noblewomen, which are not eclipsed by the heroic conquests and military exploits of their men. While recognising the complexity of gender roles in pre-imperial Mongol society, this article aims to explore the specific responsivities carried by Hö’elün and Börte in the narrative of The Secret History of the Mongols. The selective presentation of their characters and duties further reveals the goal of the Secret Historian to create a ruling model, which includes a brave widowed mother and an intelligent wife for the Qan of the empire.
The Politics of History in Russia and Theatricalisation of Traumatic Events
Authors: Guchinova Elza-Bair 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
This article examines how historical representation of the deportation of Kalmyks to Siberia has changed in compliance with the politics of history in Russia. It traces the shift from silence on this topic under communism to the dramatisation of it in the 1990s when the communists lost their power, and finally to the softening of this event in the last decades when state ideology under Putin’s administration is striving to unite the peoples of Russia around the victory in the World War II, leaving the history of the ‘purged peoples’ on the sidelines of this triumph. This evolution from a tragic to a more positive narrative is reflected in the messages of public spectacles about the deportation. The softened approach to this traumatic event was also linked to generational change: its eldest witnesses today are the people who were born between 1943 and 1956 and who were too young to remember its hardships. The author analyses classic theatre performances (‘Arash’, 1995, and ‘Kalmychka’, 2018) and mass agitational campaigns, such as the Trains of Remembrance which took present-day Kalmyks to Siberia to express gratitude symbolically to Siberians who helped them in the difficult period. These spectacles are not mere historical illustrations of the past, but new revisions of it.
Animals, Socialism, and Continuity
Authors: Linden Kenneth E. 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Leaders and hunters in the Mongolian People’s Republic embarked on a campaign to exterminate wolves who were major threats to the livestock economy. Despite common claims of Mongolian reverence of wolves, the campaign was an intensification and professionalisation of earlier wolf-hunting efforts. Wolf extermination was closely tied up in leaders’ promotion and execution of the second collectivisation campaign (1956–60) both as an external promotion to convince herders to join and an internal measure of success. State planners monitored numbers of livestock killed by wolves and how many wolf pelts were harvested. Professional hunters produced books and participated in conferences to discuss and spread methods of hunting which they articulated as Marxist labour necessary to build socialism. After the end of socialism, centralised wolf-hunting campaigns faded away and many herders point to wolf predation as a societal ill.
Flesh and Blood
Authors: Fox Elizabeth 
Published: November 2021

Abstract
Normative understandings of Mongolian kinship have long revolved around metaphors of flesh, blood and bone, while substantive approaches have focused on materials such as umbilical cords and photographic montages. In this article, I argue that the flesh of livestock has been largely overlooked in considerations of Mongolian kinship, and I address the role of meat in making and maintaining relations, both among people and between people and their homelands (nutag). In pastoral Mongolia, herd animals enact and enable a wide range of social relations. However, in the ethnographic context discussed here – the Ulaanbaatar ger districts – urban-rural migrants live at a distance from animals. No longer herders, their access to nutag meat is reliant on their connections to countryside relatives, rendering meat a kinship-making substance in new ways. This paper begins the work of analysing the shift from animal to meat-based enactments of relatedness in the age of the market.