bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Health services utilisation before and during an armed conflict; Experiences from the Southwest region of Cameroon
Authors: Haddison Eposi C. , Julius Chia E. , Kagina Benjamin M. 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Background

Armed conflicts are a threat to the health of populations in affected areas. The threat is either by direct injury or disruption of health services delivery and utilisation. There has been an armed ‘Anglophone crisis’ in the English-speaking regions of Cameroon from 2017. We hypothesized the armed conflict disrupted the utilisation of health services. We present findings of the effects of the armed conflict on health service utilisation in the Southwest region of Cameroon.

Methods

A retrospective study of surveillance data was carried out between 2016 and 2018. Regional data for selected routine immunisation, reproductive health, disease surveillance and HIV/AIDS indicators were retrieved from the regional database. Data was presented as frequencies.

Results

Generally, there was an improvement in health service utilisation indicators from 2016 to 2017 followed by a decline in 2018. The DPT3 vaccination coverage dropped from 90% in 2017 to 55% in 2018; deliveries attended by qualified personnel dropped from 46% in 2017 to 26% in 2018; the absolute number of people tested for HIV dropped from 20,3987 in 2017 to 18,3654 in 2018.

Conclusion

The utilisation of health services by the population of the Southwest region was negatively affected by the armed conflict. The negative effects could have a significant impact on the population’s health and potentially, affect the set global health targets such as improved vaccination coverage in all districts. Local, national, regional and global authorities must work together to develop risk mitigating interventions in settings with armed conflicts to preserve the utilisation of health services.
Health System Factors Influencing Uptake of Human Papilloma Virus (Hpv) Vaccine Among Adolescent Girls 9-15 Years in Mbale District, Uganda
Authors: NABIRYE JULIET , Andrew Okwi Livex , Nuwematsiko Rebecca , Kiwanuka George , Muneza Fiston , Carol Kamya , Babirye Juliet N 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Introduction

Globally, cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women with more than 85% of the burden in developing countries. In Uganda, cervical cancer has shown an increase of 1.8% per annum over the last twenty years. The availability of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine presents an opportunity to prevent cervical cancer. Understanding how the health system influences uptake of the vaccine is critical to improve it. This study aimed to assess how the health systems is influencing uptake of HPV vaccine so as to inform policy for vaccine implementation and uptake in Mbale district, Eastern Uganda.

Methods

We conducted a cross sectional study of 407 respondents, selected from 56 villages. Six key informant interviews were conducted with District Health Officials involved in implementation of the HPV vaccine. Quantitative data was analyzed using Stata V.13. Prevalence ratios with their confidence intervals were reported. Qualitative data was audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using MAXQDA V.12, using the six steps of thematic analysis developed by Braun and Clarke.

Results

56 (14%) of 407 adolescents self-reported vaccine uptake. 182 (52.3%) of 348 reported lack of awareness about the HPV vaccine as the major reason for not having received it. Receiving vaccines from outreach clinics (p=0.02), having many options from which to receive the vaccine (p=0.02), getting an explanation on possible side-effects (p=0.024), and receiving the vaccine alongside other services (p=0.024) were positively associated with uptake.

Key informants reported inconsistency in vaccine supply, inadequate training on HPV vaccine, and the lack of a clear target for HPV vaccine coverage as the factors that contribute to low uptake.

Recommendation

We recommend training of health workers to provide adequate information on HPV vaccine, raising awareness of the vaccine in markets, schools, and radio talk shows, and communicating the target to health workers.

Conclusion

Uptake of the HPV vaccine was lower than the Ministry of health target of 80%. We recommend more training of health workers to clearly provide adequate information on HPV vaccine, increasing awareness about the vaccine to the adolescents and reaching out to adolescents in and out of school for vaccination..
TLR-mediated miR-125b-5p downregulation enhances CD248-induced metastasis and drug resistance in colorectal cancer cells
Authors: PARK GA-BIN , Kim Daejin 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Background

CD248, also called endosialin or tumor endothelial marker-1 (TEM1), is markedly upregulated in almost all cancers, including colon cancers. Changes in microRNA (miRNA) profiles are one of the direct causes of cancer development and progression. In this study, we investigated whether a change in CD248 expression in colon cancer cells could induce drug resistance after chemotherapy, and we explored the relationship between miR-125b-5p levels and CD248 expression in Toll-like receptor (TLR)-modified chemoresistant colon cancer cells.

Methods

We identified the one of the downregulated miRNAs in drug-resistant HCT8 cells using Affymetrix Genechip miRNA 4.0 array process and validated the expressional change of chemoresistant HCT-116 and HT-29 cells. Interaction between Sp1 and miR-125b-5p was confirmed by miScript target protector assay. To characterize the underlying mechanisms involved in CD248 expression, we adapted the several biological analysis techniques, including RNA-binding Protein Immunoprecipitation (RIP), migration analysis, real-Time PCR, western blot analysis, and gene silencing using siRNA.

Results

TLR2/6 and TLR5 upregulation in drug-resistant colon cancer cells contributed to miR-125b-5p downregulation and Sp1-mediated CD248 upregulation via NF-κB activation. Exposure to specific TLR2/6 or TLR5 ligands enhanced the expression of mesenchymal markers as well as the migratory activity of oxaliplatin (Ox)- or 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu)-resistant colon cancer cells. The transfection of a synthetic miR-125b-5p mimic into chemoresistant cells prevented Sp1 and CD248 activation and significantly impaired invasive activity. Furthermore, Sp1 or CD248 gene silencing as well as miR-125b-5p overexpression markedly reversed drug resistance and inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colon cancer cells.

Conclusions

Taken together, these results suggest that changes in miR-125b-5p levels play an important role in Sp1-mediated CD248 expression and the development of drug resistance in TLR-mutated colon cancer cells.
Tumor-associated macrophages mediate immune suppression by secreting PD-L1+ exosomes in epithelial ovarian cancer
Authors: Zhou Xingchen , Wu Xiaoli , Li Xiaoduan , Zhang Yi , Wang Xipeng 
Published: June 2019

Abstract
Purpose: To study the role of programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) signaling pathway in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Methods: A total of 10 EOC specimens and 10 benign ovarian tumor were obtained from surgery and the pathological type. We used the methods of immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, western blot, MTT assay, apoptosis detection and co-culture to verify the aim of the research. Results: In the present study, it was validated that the number of PD-L1+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) per field was significantly increased in EOC tissues compared with benign ovarian tumor tissues. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that PD-L1 was expressed on the membrane of TAM-derived exosomes, which may inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of T cells by activating the caspase 3 signaling pathway. The analysis of the supernatant of T cells co-cultured with TAM drived exosome revealed that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and tumor necrosis factor α decreased compared with those T cells co-cultured with monocyte drived exosome. However, the expression of the immuno-suppressive cytokine, interleukin 10 and markers of T cell exhaustion (the inhibitory molecule lymphocyte activated gene-3, T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein-3 and PD-1) increased. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated that the M2-derived exosomes regulate immune suppression in the EOC microenvironment. The findings of the present study provide a theoretical basis for future target therapy on exosomes from immune cells to treat EOC.
Cultural Heritage Abroad: Field Boundaries
Authors: Gavrilović Ljiljana 
Published: June 2019

The paper considers the concept of the conservation of cultural heritage that "belongs" or is ascribed to the state, and is located beyond its borders, that is, the manner in which the concepts of culture and heritage are constructed, and the (possible) conservation mechanisms that derive from differently defined frameworks of cultural heritage. It examines aspects of the concept of cultural diversity and heritage conservation that are at first glance hidden, namely ownership (the Judeo-Christian concept as the only possible/best of all), control (of territory, of the past and the future) and the power deriving from this.
A question that is given special consideration is the relationship between identity politics as a globally supported and locally interpreted/implemented conceptualization of cultural heritage and the implementation of the UNESCO concept of culture, as a (seemingly) anti-globalization trend. It is shown that behind this relation there continues to lie a conflict between two great metanarratives (the Enlightenment and Romanticism), which have shaped western civilization over the last two centuries.
Defeated by the System: The Structure and Significance of the Personal Stories of Hybrid Transition Losers
Authors: Antonijević Dragana 
Published: June 2019

This paper presents an analysis of the structure and an interpretation of personal and family stories about the loss of property, money, jobs and status in the period of blocked transformation or hybrid transition (a term proposed by the author), while also briefly outlining the reasons for the choice of the "hybrid" metaphor to describe the specific socio-economic, political and historical situation in Serbia in the 1990s. The theoretical basis for the analysis has been provided by the decades-long folkloristic and anthropological studies of personal stories and life histories, the analysis of the narrative structure of legends, and also by theoretical and practical analyses of the process of transition. The emphasis is on the study of losers’ narratives, through a referential and evaluative dimension, as a life experience in 1990s Serbia.
Nutrient Source and Tillage Effects on Maize: I. Micrometeorological Methods for Measuring Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Authors: O'Dell Deb , Eash Neal S. , Hicks Bruce B. , Zahn James A. , Oetting Joel N. , Sauer Thomas J. , Lambert Dayton M. , Logan Joanne , Goddard John J. 
Published: June 2019

Core Ideas
Aerodynamic methods can be used to gap‐fill Bowen ratio energy balance micrometeorological measurements.
Eddy covariance and Bowen ratio energy balance methods agree during turbulent daytime conditions.
Measuring nighttime net ecosystem exchange is challenging using turbulence‐based micrometeorology.
There is a need to understand the potential benefits of using the biotechnology waste by‐product from manufacturing as a fertilizer replacement in agriculture, by quantifying the economic value for the farmer and measuring the environmental impact. Measuring CO2 emissions can be used to assess environmental impact, including three widely used micrometeorological methodologies: (i) the Bowen Ratio Energy Balance (BREB), (ii) aerodynamic flux‐gradient theory, and (iii) eddy covariance (EC). As a first step in quantifying benefits of applying biotechnology waste in agriculture, a detailed examination of these three methods was conducted to understand their effectiveness in quantifying CO2 emissions for this specific circumstance. The study measured micrometeorological properties over a field planted to maize (Zea mays L. var. indentata), one plot treated with biotechnology waste applied as a nutrient amendment, and one plot treated with a typical farmer fertilizer practice. Carbon dioxide flux measurements took place over 1 yr, using both BREB and EC systems. The aerodynamic method was used to gap‐fill BREB system measurements, and those flux estimates were compared with estimates produced separately by the aerodynamic and EC methods. All methods found greater emissions over the biotechnology waste application. The aerodynamic method CO2 flux estimates were considerably greater than both the EC and a combined BREB‐aerodynamic approach. During the day, the EC and BREB methods agree. At night, the aerodynamic approach detects and accounts for buildup of CO2 at the surface during stable periods. The BREB systems combined with aerodynamic approaches provide alternate methods to EC in examining micrometeorological properties near the surface.