Reading Martha Lamont's Crow story today

It has often been noted that translation is interpretation. My presentation of the printed text of this story seeks to emphasize the parallel truth that decisions made concerning native-language transcription are also interpretive. Thus, the Lushootseed text is formatted in a style different from that of the English. In the Lushootseed text, a new line begins where a pause in the taped performance is preceded by falling intonation; double spaces mark pauses of more than two seconds or the occurrence of a pause accompanied by a change of delivery style (for instance, from straightforward style to declamatory, chanting, or otherwise marked style). Italics identify words and phrases spoken in characterized voices (for Crow or the seagulls), in chant form (characteristic of content that implies spiritual valence), or in a form that emphasizes the innate rhythms and internal echoes of the phrases being spoken (characteristic of formulaic portions of the story). My purpose was not to distinguish among these forms of speech, but merely to indicate the amount of specialized speech in Mrs. Lamont's storytelling.Issue title; "Native American Oral Traditions: Collaboration and Interpretation.

Smoking a dangerous addiction: A systematic review on an underrated risk factor for oral diseases

Despite growing knowledge of the adverse effects of cigarette smoking on general health, smoking is one of the most widely prevalent addictions around the world. Globally, about 1.1 billion smokers and over 8 million people die each year because of cigarette smoking. Smoking acts as a source for a variety of oral and systemic diseases. Various periodontal issues such as increased pocket depth, loss of alveolar bone, tooth mobility, oral lesions, ulcerations, halitosis, and stained teeth are more common among smokers. This systematic review was conducted according to the guidelines from PRISMA, and research articles were retrieved from the Web database sources on 31 May 2021. The quality of research articles was ensured by the type of evidence from combined schema incorporating as schema-13 evidence type description, Cochrane health promotion and public health field (CHPPHF), and the health gains notation framework-14 screening question for quality assessment of qualitative and quantitative studies. Smokers have been found to have bleeding on probing, periodontal pockets, and clinical attachment loss compared to nonsmokers. Oral and respiratory cancers are among the most lethal known diseases caused by cigarette smoking and other commonly occurring sequelae such as stained teeth, periodontal diseases, etc

Techno-economic evaluation of reducing shielding gas consumption in GMAW whilst maintaining weld quality

A new method of supplying shielding gases in an alternating manner has been developed to enhance the efficiency of conventional gas metal arc welding (GMAW). However, the available literature on this advanced joining process is very sparse and no cost evaluation has been reported to date. In simple terms, the new method involves discretely supplying two different shielding gases to the weld pool at predetermined frequencies which creates a dynamic action within the liquid pool. In order to assess the potential benefits of this new method from a technical and cost perspective, a comparison has been drawn between the standard shielding gas composition of Ar/20%CO2, which is commonly used in UK and European shipbuilding industries for carbon steels, and a range of four different frequencies alternating between Ar/20%CO2 and helium. The beneficial effects of supplying the weld shielding gases in an alternating manner were found to provide attractive benefits for the manufacturing community. For example, the present study showed that compared with conventional GMAW, a 17 per cent reduction in total welding cost was achieved in the case of the alternating gas method and savings associated with a reduction in the extent of post-weld straightening following plate distortion were also identified. Also, the mechanical properties of the alternating case highlighted some marginal improvements in strength and Charpy impact toughness which were attributed to a more refined weld microstructure

Anemia, costs and mortality in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

BACKGROUND: Little is known about cost implications of anemia and its association with mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This claims analysis addresses these questions. METHODS: Using the the US Medicare claims database (1997–2001), this study identified Medicare enrollees with an ICD-9 diagnosis of COPD. Concomitant anemia was identified based on ICD-9 codes or receipt of transfusions. Persons with anemia secondary to another disease state, a nutritional deficiency or a hereditary disease were excluded. Medicare claims and payments, resource utilization and mortality were compared between COPD patients with and without anemia. RESULTS: Of the 132,424 enrollees with a COPD diagnosis, 21% (n = 27,932) had concomitant anemia. At baseline, anemic patients were older, had more co-morbidities and higher rates of health care resource use than non-anemic individuals with COPD. In a univariate analysis annual Medicare payments for persons with anemia were more than double for those without anemia ($1,466 vs.$649, p < 0.001), the direction maintained in all categories of payments. Adjusting for demographics, co-morbidities, and other markers of disease severity revealed that anemia was independently associated with $3,582 incremental increase per patient (95$3,299 to $3,865) in Medicare annual reimbursements. The mortality rate among COPD patients with anemia was 262 vs. 133 deaths per 1,000 person-years among those without anemia (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anemia was present in 21% of COPD patients. Although more prevalent in more severely ill COPD patients, anemia significantly and independently contributes to the costs of care for COPD and is associated with increased mortality

LinguAPP: An m-Health Application for Teledentistry Diagnostics

An Android/iOS application for low-cost mobile devices to aid in dental diagnosis through questionnaire and photos is presented in this paper. The main purposes of our app lie in the ease of use even for nonexperienced users, in the limited hardware requirements that allow a wide diffusion, and in the possibility to modify the questionnaire for different pathologies. This tool was developed in about a month at the beginning of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic and is still in use in Italy to allow support to patients without going to the hospital, if not strictly necessary

Perceived access and barriers to care among illicit drug users and hazardous drinkers: findings from the Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain data harmonization initiative (STTR).

BACKGROUND: Illicit drug use (DU) and hazardous drinking (HD) among marginalized populations may be associated with greater barriers to care. METHODS: We used baseline data on the participants of the Seek, Test, Treat, and Retain data harmonization initiative. DU includes use of any illicit drugs within the past 6 months. HD was defined as scores ≥8 for men and ≥ 7 for women on Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test within the past 12 months. Social support scores were assigned by summing scores from individual questions related to social support. Two outcomes for multivariable regression models and mediation analysis were perceived access to care and perceived barriers to care scores, calculated from summated points from individual questions within each domain. All models were adjusted for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and social support and stratified by HIV status. RESULTS: Among 1403 illicit drug users and 4984 non-drug users, the mean age was 39.6 ± 12.2 years old, 71% were male, 57% African Americans, and 39% Hispanic/Latinos. Over 25% reported difficulties in covering medical costs and finding transportation to health care facilities and greater proportions of drug users and hazardous drinkers reported these issues than non-DU/non-HD. In multivariable models, DU and HD were both independently associated with having greater barriers to care (β: 0.49 (95% confidence interval: 0.19 to 0.79) p \u3c 0.01; 0.31 (0.18 to 0.45) \u3c 0.01) in HIV-negative participants. Neither DU nor HD was strongly associated with barriers to care for HIV-positive participants. Social support was associated with better perceived access to care and fewer barriers to care in the HIV-negative participants. CONCLUSION: The current study found that financial burdens of care, logistical difficulties in accessing care, and low social support were common challenges among individuals using illicit drugs and/or drinking hazardously. Addressing structural barriers and strengthening social support may be important strategies to improve health care among marginalized populations, regardless of HIV status

Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) to optimize an HIV care continuum intervention for vulnerable populations : a study protocol

Abstract: Background. More than half of persons living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States are insufficiently engaged in HIV primary care and not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), mainly African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics. In the proposed project, a potent and innovative research methodology, the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), will be employed to develop a highly efficacious, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective intervention to increase engagement along the HIV care continuum. Whereas randomized controlled trials are valuable for evaluating the efficacy of multi-component interventions as a package, they are not designed to evaluate which specific components contribute to efficacy. MOST, a pioneering, engineering-inspired framework, addresses this problem through highly efficient randomized experimentation to assess the performance of individual intervention components and their interactions. We propose to use MOST to engineer an intervention to increase engagement along the HIV care continuum for African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH not well engaged in care and not taking ART. Further, the intervention will be optimized for cost-effectiveness. A similar set of multi-level factors impede both HIV care and ART initiation for African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH, primary among them individual- (e.g., substance use, distrust, fear), social- (e.g., stigma), and structural-level barriers (e.g., difficulties accessing ancillary services). Guided by a multi-level social cognitive theory, the study will evaluate five distinct intervention components (i.e., Motivational Interviewing counseling sessions, pre-adherence preparation, support groups, peer mentorship, and patient navigation), each designed to address a specific barrier to HIV care and ART initiation. These components are well-grounded in the empirical literature and were found acceptable, feasible, and promising with respect to efficacy in a preliminary study. Methods/design. Study aims are: 1) using a highly efficient fractional factorial experimental design, identify which of five intervention components contribute meaningfully to improvement in HIV viral suppression, and secondary outcomes of ART adherence and engagement in HIV primary care; 2) identify mediators and moderators of intervention component efficacy; and 3) using a mathematical modeling approach, build the most cost-effective and efficient intervention package from the efficacious components. A heterogeneous sample of African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH (with respect to age, substance use, and sexual minority status) will be recruited with a proven hybrid sampling method using targeted sampling in community settings and peer recruitment (N=512). Discussion. This is the first study to apply the MOST framework in the field of HIV prevention and treatment. This innovative study will produce an HIV care continuum intervention for the nation's most vulnerable PLWH, optimized for cost-effectiveness, and with exceptional levels of efficacy, efficiency, and scalability

Nab-paclitaxel-based compared to docetaxel-based induction chemotherapy regimens for locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

We previously reported that nab-paclitaxel-based induction chemotherapy (IC) and concurrent chemoradiotherapy resulted in low relapse rates (13%) and excellent survival in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). We compare the disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) between patients given nab-paclitaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil with cetuximab (APF-C) and historical controls given docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil with cetuximab (TPF-C). Patients with locally advanced HNSCC were treated with APF-C (n = 30) or TPF-C (n = 38). After 3 cycles of IC, patients were scheduled to receive cisplatin concurrent with definitive radiotherapy. T and N classification and smoking history were similar between the two groups and within p16-positive and p16-negative subsets. The median duration of follow-up for living patients in the APF-C group was 43.5 (range: 30–58) months versus 52 (range: 13–84) months for TPF-C. The 2-year DSS for patients treated with APF-C was 96.7% [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 85.2%, 99.8%] and with TPF-C was 77.6% (CI: 62.6%, 89.7%) (P = 0.0004). Disease progression that resulted in death was more frequent in the TPF-C group (39%) compared with the APF-C group (3%) when adjusted for competing risks of death from other causes (Gray's test, P = 0.0004). In p16 positive OPSCC, the 2-year DSS for APF-C was 100% and for TPF-C was 74.6% (CI: 47.4%, 94.6%) (P = 0.0019) and the 2-year OS for APF-C was 94.1% (CI: 65.0%, 99.2%) and for TPF-C was 74.6% (CI: 39.8%, 91.1%) (P = 0.013). In p16 negative HNSCC, the 2-year DSS for APF-C was 91.7% (CI: 67.6%, 99.6%) and for TPF-C was 82.6% (CI: 64.4%, 94.8%) (P = 0.092). A 2-year DSS and OS were significantly better with a nab-paclitaxel-based IC regimen (APF-C) compared to a docetaxel-based IC regimen (TPF-C) in p16-positive OPSCC

Effect of substituting IPV for tOPV on immunity to poliovirus in Bangladeshi infants: An open-label randomized controlled trial

AbstractBackgroundThe Polio Endgame strategy includes phased withdrawal of oral poliovirus vaccines (OPV) coordinated with introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) to ensure population immunity. The impact of IPV introduction into a primary OPV series of immunizations in a developing country is uncertain.MethodsBetween May 2011 and November 2012, we enrolled 700 Bangladeshi infant-mother dyads from Dhaka slums into an open-label randomized controlled trial to test whether substituting an injected IPV dose for the standard Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) fourth tOPV dose at infant age 39 weeks would reduce fecal shedding and enhance systemic immunity. The primary endpoint was mucosal immunity to poliovirus at age one year, measured by fecal excretion of any Sabin virus at five time points up to 25 days post-52 week tOPV challenge, analyzed by the intention to treat principle.FindingsWe randomized 350 families to the tOPV and IPV vaccination arms. Neither study arm resulted in superior intestinal protection at 52 weeks measured by the prevalence of infants shedding any of three poliovirus serotypes, but the IPV dose induced significantly higher seroprevalence and seroconversion rates. This result was identical for poliovirus detection by cell culture or RT-qPCR. The non-significant estimated culture-based shedding risk difference was −3% favoring IPV, and the two vaccination schedules were inferred to be equivalent within a 95% confidence margin of −10% to +4%. Results for shedding analyses stratified by poliovirus type were similar.ConclusionsNeither of the vaccination regimens is superior to the other in enhancing intestinal immunity as measured by poliovirus shedding at 52 weeks of age and the IPV regimen provides similar intestinal immunity to the four tOPV series, although the IPV regimen strongly enhances humoral immunity. The IPV-modified regimen may be considered for vaccination programs without loss of intestinal protection