The Colonial Marginalization of Filipino and Filipino American Soldiers in the US Army during World War II

This thesis analyzes the structural paradigms in place within American society as multifaceted tools of colonialism and how they impacted the experiences of minority and colonized soldiers in the United States Army during the Second World War. The history is analyzed through the postcolonial lens, observing factors in place such as; denial of place in history, identity, and recognition of service. The research questions that this thesis addresses are as follows: What are the colonial implications in the experience of Filipino and Filipino American soldiers experience during the Second World War? Are colonial soldiers treated as more expendable than white soldiers? How does the colonial relationship between the United States and the Philippines affect how we understand the colonial soldiers’ experience? By analyzing the histories of the segregated Filipino and Filipino American units of the Second World War and supporting literature that addresses the impacts of colonialism on the colonized, I will analyze aspects of the role of the minority and colonized soldier as a tool of the colonial empire. I argue that the colonial soldier is a paradigm of the United States military and colonial footprint of the country during the Second World War, prior, and up until the present. The perspectives of Orientalism towards minorities, colonialism and how it subjects the oppressed population, and subaltern realities for the oppressed minorities are the factors that make up the experience for the minority and colonized soldier. This thesis analyzes the colonial relations between the United States and the Philippines and the recruitment of colonized soldiers in the Second World War through the recruitment of Filipino American and Filipino soldiers for the war efforts in the global conflict through the historical documents and official United States government stances on the occupation of the Philippines and the Filipino people. Colonial constructions of the Filipino Other are also observed with many ideals and lenses from the work of Edward Said and Orientalism; specifically the relationship between policy/discourse and societal paradigms in which the Filipino culture and existence was otherized and targeted. The concept of the otherization of the Filipino American and Filipino is seen through the interviews conducted with family members detailing the hardship of their experience, the grassroot movements of the Filipino and Filipino American veterans in the plight for acquiring equal veteran status and medical benefits after having them revoked following the Rescission Act of 1946, and the removal of their contributions from the mainstream historical record of the conflict

To Save or not to Save the Kidney: Relieving Unilateral Obstruction May Significantly Improve an Initially Low Split Renal Creatinine Clearance

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the change in acute/subacute unilateral renal function after the relief of complete unilateral ureteral obstruction by nephrostomy. Materials and Methods Thirty patients were prospectively enrolled in the study. All had ureteral stone, which were located in the upper ureter in 24 (80%) and in the middle ureter in 6 (20%) patients. As all patients had high-grade hydronephrosis, a percutaneous nephrostomy catheter was placed for the relief of obstruction. At the first week of urinary diversion, 24-hour creatinine clearance (CC) of both affected and normal kidneys were evaluated. In order to determine the difference, same evaluation was performed on the fourth week of nephrostomy placement. Results The mean age of the patients was 44.6 (36-54) years. The mean CC of the affected kidney was 38.8 similar to 4.9 ml/min in the first week of urinary diversion and increased to 42.5 similar to 5.4 ml/min at the end of the fourth week (p<0.001). All patients showed an improvement in CC levels ranging between 2.3% and 17.3% with a mean rate of 8.5 similar to 4.7%. Conclusion According to our results, kidney function may improve during the first month after the relief of obstruction. This improvement may be significant for borderline renal function to determine the curative treatment of an obstructed kidne

Pediatric tracheotomy: 5-years of experiences at a tertiary care center

Objective: To describe specific indications and complications of pediatric tracheostomies performed in our tertiary care children’s hospital between 2015 and 2020. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study analyzing charts of pediatric tracheostomies utilizing the maturation suture technique was conducted. The review included patient data covering a 5-year period, commencing on the 1st of January 2015 through the 31st of May 2020. Results: Fifty-five patients (33 females, 22 male) were included in the study. A tracheostomy was performed to address complications arising from prolonged ventilation in 48 children (87%) or upper airway obstruction in 7 children (13%). There was one intraoperative complication that resulted in death. There was one early postoperative complication (2%) (one child suffered accidental decannulation and the cannula was replaced without further incident). There were 7 late postoperative complications all featuring peristomal granulation tissue (13%). There were 16 deaths; however, only one resulted from the tracheostomy as outlined above. Eight patients (15%) were successfully decannulated. In 6 cases, the tracheostomy was spontaneously closed. Repair of tracheoesophageal fistula was required in two patients. Conclusion: Currently, the tracheostomy is the preferred course of treatment. Though it can potentially lead to severe complications in children, instances of this occurring are rare. Therefore, a tracheostomy should be performed by a multidisciplinary team following predetermined rules in a specialized center

The Relationship Between Vitamin D Gene Polymorphisms and the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer in Patients with High Prostate-Specific Antigen Value

Objective: To investigate the effects of vitamin D levels and vitamin D receptor (VDR) BsmI, FokI, TaqI, and ApaI gene polymorphisms on prostate cancer (PCa)diagnosis in Turkish men with high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels during screening.Materials and Methods: Patients who were admitted to the outpatient clinic with elevated PSA levels and were scheduled for transrectal prostate biopsy wereincluded. Patients diagnosed with PCa were divided into two groups of either localized disease (low/intermediate/high risk) or metastatic disease for subgroupanalysis. The control group comprised patients whose biopsies revealed benign pathologies. Blood samples were collected from each patient after 12 hours offasting before the prostate biopsy. Vitamin D levels and VDR gene polymorphisms were determined by ECLIA method and restriction fragment length polymorphismanalysis, respectively.Results: A total of 77 patients (PCa, 39; benign, 38) were included in the study. The frequencies of BsmI, FokI, TaqI, and ApaI genotypes for PCa and benigngroups were evaluated. Vitamin D deficiency was detected in 88.6% and 94.9% of the benign and PCa groups, respectively (p=0.176). The FokI Ff and BsmI bbgenotypes, and FokI FF and BsmI Bb genotypes were found to be more common in the PCa and benign groups, respectively. ApaI Aa and TaqI Tt were found tobe more frequent in both groups. In patients with metastatic PCa; Bsml Bb genotype, Apal Aa genotype, and Taql Tt genotypes were found to be more common.Conclusion: Although Bsml Bb genotype, Apal Aa genotype, and Taql Tt genotypes were more commonly found in patients with metastatic PCa, further studieswith increased sample sizes are needed to support this relationship in the Turkish PCa population

Authenticity and Atypicality in Leadership: Can an Atypical Leader Afford to be Authentic?

Leaders from typically privileged backgrounds, such as White, male, elite-educated and upper-class individuals, often find it easier to craft an authentic identity in professional settings than their atypical counterparts. These atypical leaders, which include women, LGBT+, ethnic minorities or those from less affluent socio-economic backgrounds, can indeed construct an authentic workplace identity. However, this often demands significant emotional investment and the navigation of challenges, such as reconciling conflicting identities, especially in institutions tailored predominantly for the typical leaders. While authenticity and diversity are highly desired qualities in leadership, we argue that authenticity remains a privilege primarily enjoyed by leaders from typical backgrounds. By drawing on Hochschild's notion of emotional labour and Castoriadis's concepts of autonomy and heteronomy, we shed light on the dynamic interplay between authenticity and atypicality. Further, we present a conceptual framework that outlines how atypical leaders can manifest authenticity in their roles, and the ensuing implications for driving organisational change rooted in diversity

Upper urinary tract deterioration and possible etiologies in intractable voiding dysfunction: Role of occult spinal malformation

Objectives: To evaluate the presence of upper urinary tract deterioration (UUTD) and accompanying pathologies in children treated with the diagnosis of non-neurogenic bladder-sphincter dysfunction (NNBSD). Patients and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 316 consecutive patients with NNBSD who were treated. All cohort were grouped into two: Group I (Treatment success; n=284), Group II (Treatment failure with any form of occult spinal pathology; n=32). Thirty-four children with treatment-failure and normal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were excluded. Groups were compared for pre- and posttreatment pediatric lower urinary tract symptom score (PLUTSS), presence of UUTD and urodynamic findings. Results: The mean PLUTSS was significantly less in Group I compared with Group II at pre-treatment and 3 months thereafter the initial treatment (12.20 ± 5.90 and 5.20 ± 4.90 vs 20.3 ± 2.14 and 18 ± 3.4, respectively p<0.01). The mean cystometric capacities and detrusor leak point pressure (DLPP) of Group II prior to initial treatment and after 6 months of the untethering surgery were found to be 194, 267 mL and 28, 12cm H2O, respectively (p<0.05). Presence of UUTD was significantly correlated with DLPP >20 cm H2O and presence of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR)

Artificial intelligence assisted patient blood and urine droplet pattern analysis for non‑invasive and accurate diagnosis of bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancer types in the urinary system. Yet, current bladder cancer diagnosis and follow-up techniques are time-consuming, expensive, and invasive. In the clinical practice, the gold standard for diagnosis remains invasive biopsy followed by histopathological analysis. In recent years, costly diagnostic tests involving the use of bladder cancer biomarkers have been developed, however these tests have high false-positive and false-negative rates limiting their reliability. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of cost-effective, and non-invasive novel diagnosis methods. To address this gap, here we propose a quick, cheap, and reliable diagnostic method. Our approach relies on an artificial intelligence (AI) model to analyze droplet patterns of blood and urine samples obtained from patients and comparing them to cancer-free control subjects.The AI-assisted model in this study uses a deep neural network, a ResNet network, pre-trained on ImageNet datasets. Recognition and classification of complex patterns formed by dried urine or blood droplets under different conditions resulted in cancer diagnosis with a high specificity and sensitivity.Our approach can be systematically applied across droplets, enabling comparisons to reveal shared spatial behaviors and underlying morphological patterns. Our results support the fact that AI-based models have a great potential for non-invasive and accurate diagnosis of malignancies, including bladder cancer

Study of the effect of natural antioxidants in polyethylene: Performance of β-carotene

The effect of β-carotene on the behaviour of polyethylene stabilized with α-tocopherol and a phosphonite antioxidant was studied under processing and storage conditions. The amount of β-carotene ranged between 0 and 2000 ppm. The polymer was characterised by different methods after processing then during and after storage at ambient temperature in light and dark. β-Carotene hinders the oxidation of polyethylene and does not increase the chain extension reactions during processing, though more vinyl groups and phosphonite molecules react. β-Carotene colours polyethylene strongly already at low concentrations. The reactions of the polymer and β-carotene are affected strongly by the storage conditions. The presence of β-carotene does not influence the stabilizing efficiency of the primary and secondary antioxidants. In dark the molecular structure of the polymer does not change appreciably, while the reactions of β-carotene lead to an increase in the yellowness index. In light the molecular characteristics of polyethylene undergo significant changes indicating long chain branching. The polymer fades rapidly after an induction period. The length of the induction period is not influenced by light. The rate of the degradation reactions of β-carotene during storage is controlled by its concentration and film thickness. Visible autoaccelerated decomposition in light renders β-carotene candidate as an indicator in active packaging materials

Fibrin glue and transanal rectal advancement flap for high transsphincteric perianal fistulas; is there any advantage?

BACKGROUNDS AND AIM: In recent decades, fibrin glue has appeared as an alternative treatment for high perianal fistulas. Early results seemed promising, with high success rates being reported. However, with increasing follow-up, the enthusiasm was tempered because of disappointing results. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the additional value of fibrin glue in combination with transanal advancement flap, compared to advancement flap alone, for the treatment of high transsphincteric fistulas of cryptoglandular origin. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1995 and January 2006, 127 patients were operated for high perianal fistulas with an advancement flap. After exclusion of patients with inflammatory bowel disease or HIV, 80 patients remained. A consecutive series of 26 patients had an advancement flap combined with obliteration of the fistula tract with fibrin glue. Patients were matched for prior fistula surgery, and the advancement was performed identically in all patients. In the fibrin glue group, glue was installed retrogradely in the fistula tract after the advancement was completed and the fistula tract had been curetted. RESULTS: Minimal follow-up after surgery was 13 months [median of 67 months (range, 13-127)]. The overall recurrence rate was 26% (n=21). Recurrence rates for advancement flap alone vs the combination with glue were 13% vs 56% (p=0.014) in the group without previous fistula surgery and 23% vs 41% (p=0.216) in the group with previous fistula surgery. CONCLUSION: Obliterating the fistula tract with fibrin glue was associated with worse outcome after rectal advancement flap for high perianal fistula