bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of a Metoprolol Extended Release Shortage on Post-Myocardial Infarction β-Blocker Utilization, Adherence, and Rehospitalization
Authors: Bykov Katsiaryna , Gagne Joshua J. , Wang Bo , Choudhry Niteesh K. 
Published: October 2018

Background:
Shortages of chronic medications are an increasingly common problem, yet little is known about their impact on drug utilization and clinical outcomes. We evaluated the population-level impact of metoprolol extended release shortage that occurred in the United States in 2009 to 2010.

Methods and Results:
We conducted a population-based, time series analysis of 38 914 patients (mean age, 60 years; 69% men) discharged after hospitalization for myocardial infarction (MI) between January 2006 and November 2012 in a large commercial insurance database. The shortage period was defined as February 2009 to June 2010. Data before September 2008 was defined as preshortage period and data after June 2010 as postshortage period. Outcomes were proportion of patients who filled any long- or short-acting β-blocker within 30 days of discharge, adherence to β-blockers within the first year of therapy among patients who initiated β-blockers, and rates of 1-year rehospitalization for MI or unstable angina. Post-MI statin utilization and adherence were evaluated as control outcomes. During the preshortage period, 70% of patient filled a β-blocker, mean monthly adherence was 76%, and the average monthly rate of rehospitalization was 6.5 events per 100 person-years, as compared with β-blocker use of 62%, average adherence of 70%, and rehospitalization rate of 5.6 events per 100 person-years during the shortage. After accounting for the baseline (preshortage) trends, the shortage was associated with significant monthly reductions in postdischarge β-blocker use (−0.57% of patients [95% CI, −0.90 to −0.24] per month) and an immediate decrease in adherence (−4.58% days covered [95% CI, −6.12 to −3.04]). No negative impact on rates of rehospitalization, post-MI statin utilization, or statin adherence was observed. β-Blocker utilization began to increase after the resolution of the shortage.

Conclusions:
The nationwide metoprolol extended release shortage in the United States was associated with fewer patients receiving any long- or short-acting β-blocker post-MI and lower adherence to β-blocker therapy for those who did receive it, but did not appear to appreciably affect clinical outcomes at the population level.
Race/Ethnicity and the Prognostic Implications of Coronary Artery Calcium for All‐Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality: The Coronary Artery Calcium Consortium
Authors: Orimoloye Olusola A. , Budoff Matthew J. , Dardari Zeina A. , Mirbolouk Mohammadhassan , Uddin S.M. Iftekhar , Berman Daniel S. , Rozanski Alan , Shaw Leslee J. , Rumberger John A. , Nasir Khurram , Miedema Michael D. , Blumenthal Roger S. , Blaha Michael J. 
Published: October 2018

Background

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) predicts cardiovascular disease (CVD) events; however, less is known about how its prognostic implications vary by race/ethnicity
.

Methods and Results
A total of 38 277 whites, 1621 Asians, 977 blacks, and 1349 Hispanics from the CAC Consortium (mean age 55 years, 35% women) were followed over a median of 11.7 years. Modeling CAC in continuous and categorical (CAC=0; CAC 1–99; CAC 100–399; CAC ≥400) forms, we assessed its predictive value for all‐cause and CVD mortality by race/ethnicity using Cox proportional hazards and Fine and Gray competing‐risk regression, respectively. We also assessed the impact of race/ethnicity on risk within individual CAC strata, using whites as the reference. Models were adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Increased CAC was associated with higher total and CVD mortality risk in all race/ethnicity groups, including Asians. However, the risk gradient with increasing CAC was more pronounced in blacks and Hispanics. In Fine and Gray subdistribution hazards models adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors and CAC (continuous), blacks (subdistribution hazard ratio 3.4, 95% confidence interval, 2.5–4.8) and Hispanics (subdistribution hazard ratio 2.3, 95% confidence interval, 1.6–3.2) showed greater risk of CVD mortality when compared with whites, while Asians had risk similar to whites. These race/ethnic differences persisted when CAC=0.

Conclusions
CAC predicts all‐cause and CVD mortality in all studied race/ethnicity groups, including Asians and Hispanics, who may be poorly represented by the Pooled Cohort Equations. Blacks and Hispanics may have greater mortality risk compared with whites and Asians after adjusting for atherosclerosis burden, with potential implications for US race/ethnic healthcare disparities research.
Jews, Ships, and Death: A Consideration of Nautical Images in Jewish Mortuary Contexts
Authors: Stern Karen B. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractRecurrences of ancient ship carvings and drawings in Jewish burial caves are curious phenomena, which rarely capture the attention of scholars. Few narrative Jewish texts, which might otherwise illuminate this pattern, explicitly describe any link between ships and death. The ubiquity of nautical images in graffiti and monumental art throughout the ancient Mediterranean, moreover, obscures their particular significance in any mortuary context, whether associated with Jews or their neighbors. This article suggests that consistent appearances of ship imagery in Jewish burial contexts throughout time and across distant regions, attest to the varied iconographic and ideational significances of ships to Jews within mortuary settings. Cross-cultural similarities between acts of drawing, carving, and commissioning ship images inside and around commemorative spaces, this article argues further, document corresponding continuities between the mortuary activities and beliefs of Jews and their Egyptian, Greco-Roman, and Christian neighbors throughout the ancient Mediterranean.
Observations of Breaking Waves and Energy Dissipation in Modulated Wave Groups
Authors: Wang David W. , Wijesekera Hemantha W. 
Published: October 2018

AbstractIt has been recognized that modulated wave groups trigger wave breaking and generate energy dissipation events on the ocean surface. Quantitative examination of wave-breaking events and associated turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) dissipation rates within a modulated wave group in the open ocean is not a trivial task. To address this challenging topic, a set of laboratory experiments was carried out in an outdoor facility, the Oil and Hazardous Material Simulated Environment Test Tank (203 m long, 20 m wide, 3.5 m deep). TKE dissipation rates at multiple depths were estimated directly while moving the sensor platform at a speed of about 0.53 m s−1 toward incoming wave groups generated by the wave maker. The largest TKE dissipation rates and significant whitecaps were found at or near the center of wave groups where steepening waves approached the geometric limit of waves. The TKE dissipation rate was O(10−2) W kg−1 during wave breaking, which is two to three orders of magnitude larger than before and after wave breaking. The enhanced TKE dissipation rate was limited to a layer of half the wave height in depth. Observations indicate that the impact of wave breaking was not significant at depths deeper than one wave height from the surface. The TKE dissipation rate of breaking waves within wave groups can be parameterized by local wave phase speed with a proportionality breaking strength coefficient dependent on local steepness. The characterization of energy dissipation in wave groups from local wave properties will enable a better determination of near-surface TKE dissipation of breaking waves.
Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Persist in Tissue-Engineered Vocal Fold Replacement in Rabbits
Authors: Goel Alexander N. , Gowda Bhavani S. , Veena Mysore S. , Shiba Travis L. , Long Jennifer L. 
Published: October 2018

Objectives: Cell therapies using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have been proposed as a promising new tool for the treatment of vocal fold scarring. However, the mechanisms by which MSCs promote healing as well as their duration of survival within the host vocal fold have yet to be defined. The aim of this work was to assess the persistence of embedded MSCs within a tissue-engineered vocal fold mucosal replacement in a rabbit model of vocal fold injury. Methods: Male rabbit adipose-derived MSCs were embedded within a 3-dimensional fibrin gel, forming the cell-based outer vocal fold replacement. Four female rabbits underwent unilateral resection of vocal fold epithelium and lamina propria and reconstruction with cell-based outer vocal fold replacement implantation. Polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent in situ hybridization for the sex-determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY-II) in the sex-mismatched donor-recipient pairs sought persistent cells after 4 weeks. Results: A subset of implanted male cells was detected in the implant site at 4 weeks. Many SRY-II-negative cells were also detected at the implant site, presumably representing native female cells that migrated to the area. No SRY-II signal was detected in contralateral control vocal folds. Conclusions: The emergent tissue after implantation of a tissue-engineered outer vocal fold replacement is derived both from initially embedded adipose-derived stromal cells and infiltrating native cells. Our results suggest this tissue-engineering approach can provide a well-integrated tissue graft with prolonged cell activity for repair of severe vocal fold scars.
Quality‐of‐Life Outcomes following Surgical Treatment of Ménière's Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Ballard Daniel P. , Sukato Daniel C. , Timashpolsky Alisa , Babu Seilesh C. , Rosenfeld Richard M. , Hanson Matthew 
Published: October 2018

ObjectiveSeveral surgical interventions are offered to patients with Ménière's disease (MD) who fail medical management. Although outcomes have historically been reported according to American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery guidelines, patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used to evaluate treatments. This study reviews PROMs used to assess surgical treatments for MD and compares the effect of each intervention based on PROM scores.Data SourcesPubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Web of Science.Review MethodsThis is a systematic review and meta‐analysis of English‐language studies that reported PROMs for surgical treatments of MD. Two independent investigators assessed study eligibility, rated the quality using Methodological Index for Non‐Randomized Studies (MINORS), and abstracted data for comparative analysis. A random‐effects model was used for meta‐analysis of pooled data.ResultsOf 148 unique studies identified, 11 satisfied inclusion criteria. The Ménière's Disease Outcome Questionnaire (MDOQ) was the most commonly used survey. Interventions included intratympanic gentamicin, vestibular nerve section, endolymphatic sac surgery, and labyrinthectomy. Pooled analysis of 8 studies that used the MDOQ instrument demonstrated statistically significant improvements in quality of life but did not identify a difference between destructive and nondestructive procedures.ConclusionAlthough our review shows significant improvements in PROM scores for both destructive and nondestructive interventions, there was no significant difference noted between treatment types. We cannot draw conclusions regarding the comparative effectiveness of specific interventions, and the results do not account for placebo effects or the natural history of the disease. Further investigation with randomized controlled trials should be considered in future studies.
Nicotinamide’s Ups and Downs: Consequences for Fertility, Development, Longevity and Diseases of Poverty and Affluence
Authors: Williams Adrian C , Hill Lisa J 
Published: October 2018

Aims and Scope: To further explore the role of dietary nicotinamide in both brain development and diseases, particularly those of ageing. Articles cover neurodegenerative disease and cancer. Also discussed are the effects of nicotinamide, contained in meat and supplements and derived from symbionts, on the major transitions of disease and fertility from ancient times up to the present day. A key role for the tryptophan – NAD ‘de novo’ and immune tolerance pathway are discussed at length in the context of fertility and longevity and the transitions from immune paresis to Treg-mediated immune tolerance and then finally to intolerance and their associated diseases. Abstract: Nicotinamide in human evolution increased cognitive power in a positive feedback loop originally involving hunting. As the precursor to metabolic master molecule NAD it is, as vitamin B3, vital for health. Paradoxically, a lower dose on a diverse plant then cereal-based diet fuelled population booms from the Mesolithic onwards, by upping immune tolerance of the foetus. Increased tolerance of risky symbionts, whether in the gut or TB, that excrete nicotinamide co-evolved as buffers for when diet was inadequate. High biological fertility, despite disease trade-offs, avoided the extinction of Homo sapiens and heralded the dawn of a conscious, creative, and pro-fertility culture. Nicotinamide equity now would stabilise populations and prevent NAD-based diseases of poverty and affluence.
Effect of the combination of motor imagery and electrical stimulation on upper extremity motor function in patients with chronic stroke: preliminary results
Authors: Okuyama Kohei , Ogura Miho , Kawakami Michiyuki , Tsujimoto Kengo , Okada Kohsuke , Miwa Kazuma , Takahashi Yoko , Abe Kaoru , Tanabe Shigeo , Yamaguchi Tomofumi , Liu Meigen 
Published: October 2018

Background: The combination of motor imagery (MI) and afferent input with electrical stimulation (ES) enhances the excitability of the corticospinal tract compared with motor imagery alone or electrical stimulation alone. However, its therapeutic effect is unknown in patients with hemiparetic stroke. We performed a preliminary examination of the therapeutic effects of MI + ES on upper extremity (UE) motor function in patients with chronic stroke. Methods: A total of 10 patients with chronic stroke demonstrating severe hemiparesis participated. The imagined task was extension of the affected finger. Peripheral nerve electrical stimulation was applied to the radial nerve at the spiral groove. MI + ES intervention was conducted for 10 days. UE motor function as assessed with the Fugl–Meyer assessment UE motor score (FMA-UE), the amount of the affected UE use in daily life as assessed with a Motor Activity Log (MAL-AOU), and the degree of hypertonia in flexor muscles as assessed with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS) were evaluated before and after intervention. To assess the change in spinal neural circuits, reciprocal inhibition between forearm extensor and flexor muscles with the H reflex conditioning-test paradigm at interstimulus intervals (ISIs) of 0, 20, and 100 ms were measured before and after intervention. Results: UE motor function, the amount of the affected UE use, and muscle hypertonia in flexor muscles were significantly improved after MI + ES intervention (FMA-UE: p < 0.01, MAL-AOU: p < 0.01, MAS: p = 0.02). Neurophysiologically, the intervention induced restoration of reciprocal inhibition from the forearm extensor to the flexor muscles (ISI at 0 ms: p = 0.03, ISI at 20 ms: p = 0.03, ISI at 100 ms: p = 0.01). Conclusion: MI + ES intervention was effective for improving UE motor function in patients with severe paralysis.
Congenital peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia in a family of Persian cats
Authors: Margolis Carol , Zakošek Pipan Maja , Demchur Jolie , Or Matan , Henthorn Paula , Casal Margret L 
Published: October 2018

Case series summary The congenital midline defects of peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia (PPDH) and omphalocele are believed to be related developmental defects, and have both been described in cats and dogs. This case series describes multiple cases of PPDH and omphalocele in related cats. The majority of cats affected with midline defects (PPDH or omphalocele) were male, consistent with previous reports of male overrepresentation. Relevance and novel information This is the first report of a family of Persian cats affected by PPDH and/or omphalocele. Clinical findings and pedigree information are suggestive of an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. However, other modes of inheritance cannot be ruled out owing to limited sample size. The findings in this family and previous reports of Persians affected by PPDH warrant further investigation. Based on this information, recommendations for breeding populations of Persians and long-haired cats should include thoracic radiographs to screen for PPDH until a DNA-based genetic test is available.
Inflammatory signals directly instruct PU.1 in HSCs via TNF
Authors: Etzrodt Martin , Ahmed Nouraiz , Hoppe Philipp S. , Loeffler Dirk , Skylaki Stavroula , Hilsenbeck Oliver , Kokkaliaris Konstantinos D. , Kaltenbach Hans-Michael , Stelling Jörg , Nerlov Claus , Schroeder Timm 
Published: October 2018

Abstract
The molecular mechanisms governing the transition from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to lineage-committed progenitors remain poorly understood. Transcription factors (TFs) are powerful cell intrinsic regulators of differentiation and lineage commitment, while cytokine signaling has been shown to instruct the fate of progenitor cells. However, the direct regulation of differentiation-inducing hematopoietic TFs by cell extrinsic signals remains surprisingly difficult to establish. PU.1 is a master regulator of hematopoiesis and promotes myeloid differentiation. Here we report that tumor necrosis factor (TNF) can directly and rapidly upregulate PU.1 protein in HSCs in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrate that in vivo, niche-derived TNF is the principal PU.1 inducing signal in HSCs and is both sufficient and required to relay signals from inflammatory challenges to HSCs.
The White Legend
Authors: Bauer Ralph 
Published: October 2018

AbstractThis position paper offers a reflection on Edmundo O’Gorman’s seminal La invención de América as a critique of the New World exceptionalism underwriting much of twentieth-century hemispheric American studies. It suggests that the paradigm of New World exceptionalism emerges, as a state of exception, from the modern Western (Protestant) idea that America was discovered by Europeans in the fifteenth century, or that America was ever “discovered” by anyone at all. This exceptionalist paradigm of discovery can be understood in terms of a “White Legend” that structurally depends on the idea of the “Black Legend” of the Spanish conquest, for, contrary to conventional wisdom, it was the conquest of America (not its “discovery”) that legitimated the modern idea of discovery in international law and science.
BorderlandsLetrados
Authors: Padilla Yolanda 
Published: October 2018

AbstractAngel Rama’s concept of the letrado refers to Latin American lettered individuals who used writing to consolidate the nation. But what might it have meant to be a letrado in the geopolitical context of the US-Mexico border in the early twentieth century, one that combined territorial dispossession, migration, and revolution? This essay examines the contributions of border Mexicans to La crónica, an influential Laredo, Texas, newspaper that appeared at least from 1910 to 1914. These “borderlands letrados” engaged the Mexican nation from positions of opposition during the Mexican Revolution while contending with Anglo-American nativist imperatives, which shaped their cultivation of an ethnic identity in the United States. Mobilizing the concept of the letrado in the context of these borderlands writers makes them legible within larger Latin American currents while elucidating their place at the center of issues encompassing ethnic, national, and transnational concerns.
Mesenchymal stem cell mechanotransduction is cAMP dependent and regulated by adenylyl cyclase 6 and the primary cilium
Authors: Johnson Gillian P. , Stavenschi Elena , Eichholz Kian F. , Corrigan Michele A. , Fair Sean , Hoey David A. 
Published: October 2018

ABSTRACT
Mechanical loading is a potent stimulus of bone adaptation, requiring the replenishment of the osteoblast from a progenitor population. One such progenitor is the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), which undergoes osteogenic differentiation in response to oscillatory fluid shear. Yet, the mechanism mediating stem cell mechanotransduction, and thus the potential to target this therapeutically, is poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that MSCs utilise cAMP as a second messenger in mechanotransduction, which is required for flow-mediated increases in osteogenic gene expression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this mechanosignalling is dependent on the primary cilium and the ciliary localised adenylyl cyclase 6. Finally, we also demonstrate that this mechanotransduction mechanism can be targeted therapeutically to enhance cAMP signalling and early osteogenic signalling, mimicking the beneficial effect of physical loading. Our findings therefore demonstrate a novel mechanism of MSC mechanotransduction that can be targeted therapeutically, demonstrating a potential mechanotherapeutic for bone-loss diseases such as osteoporosis.
This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Faktor Perilaku dan Gaya Hidup yang Mempengaruhi Status Prediabetes Pasien Puskesmas Pati II
Authors: Sukenty Ninik Trisnawati , Shaluhiyah Zahroh , Suryoputro Antono 
Published: October 2018

Background: Prediabetes status describes as the condition of blood glucose level above normal but insufficient to be diagnosed as diabetes. The stage of prediabetes is a critical condition of blood glucose level, but could reverse to be normal again if healthy lifestyle is routinely performed. In USA one of three people diagnosed with prediabetes. But most people did not realize that they had prediabetes history. The increasing number of prediabetes occurs due to the absence of typical symptoms. If prediabetes detected earlier, the rate of diabetes mellitus could be prevented. This study aims to examine some behaviors that affect the prediabetes status of patients in Pati II health center. Method: This is an explanatory research with cross sectional approach. Samples were rucruited using inclusion criteria such as aged 40–59 years, not diagnosed as diabetes, abdominal circumference more than 90 for men and 80 for women. There were 117 respondents involved in this study. Results: This research showed that the number of respondents with prediabetes status was 39.3%. Respondents with blood glucose level ranged more than 200 mg/dl were 6%. The variables that influence the prediabetes status of the respondents were Body Mass Index with OR 3.591 (p value 0.011), diet pattern with OR 2.435 (p value 0.044), and smoking habit or passive smoking with OR 2.493 (p value 0.046). This study recommends to prevent the prediabetes to be diabetes, needed the socialization of healthy lifestyle to the community and early detection of prediabetes. Early prevention includes changes to people healthy lifestyles such as maintaining healthy body weight, doing physical activity routinely, healthy eating patterns, avoiding cigarette smoke and smoking habits.Keywords: prediabetes, BMI, diet, smoking
U podstaw myśli etycznej Leszka Kołakowskiego
Authors: Olczyk Adam 
Published: October 2018

The article discusses primary matters of Leszek Kołakowski’s ethical thought. For that purpose, the analysis focuses on the need to justify the content of natural law. Kołakowski maintains that the development of communication and growth of cities are foundations of the justification process. In line with this idea the intuition of evil (related with such terms like tabu, sacrum, profanum or sin) is the major determinant for the distinction between good and evil. Kołakowski’s theory also explores a connection between the experience of evil and human dignity.