Changing clinical and therapeutic trends in tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas: a systematic review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas are characterized by a high hemorrhagic risk. We evaluated trends in outcomes and management of tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas and performed a meta-analysis evaluating clinical and angiographic outcomes by treatment technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search for studies on surgical and endovascular treatment of tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas. We compared the proportion of patients undergoing endovascular, surgical, and combined endovascular/surgical management; the proportion of patients presenting with ruptured tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas; and proportion of patients with good neurologic outcome across 3 time periods: 1980-1995, 1996-2005, and 2006-2014. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis, evaluating the rates of occlusion, long-term good neurologic outcome, perioperative morbidity, and resolution of symptoms for the 3 treatment modalities. RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies with 274 patients were included. The proportion of patients treated with surgical treatment alone decreased from 38.7% to 20.4% between 1980-1995 and 2006-2014. The proportion of patients treated with endovascular therapy alone increased from 16.1% to 48.0%. The proportion of patients presenting with ruptured tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas decreased from 64.4% to 43.6%. The rate of good neurologic outcome increased from 80.7% to 92.9%. Complete occlusion rates were highest for patients receiving multimodality treatment (84.0%; 95% CI, 72.0%-91.0%) and lowest for endovascular treatment (71.0%; 95% CI, 56.0%-83.0%; P < .01). Long-term good neurologic outcome was highest in the endovascular group (89.0%; 95% CI, 80.0%-95.0%) and lowest for the surgical group (73.0%; 95% CI, 51.0%-87.0%; P < .03). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with tentorial dural arteriovenous fistulas are increasingly presenting with unruptured lesions, being treated endovascularly, and experiencing higher rates of good neurologic outcomes. Endovascular treatment was associated with superior neurologic outcomes but lower occlusion rate

“I don’t want to look sick skinny”: Perceptions of body image and weight loss in Hispanics living with HIV in South Texas

Objective: Obesity is rising in people with HIV (PLWH) and Hispanics. Both HIV and obesity are associated with cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. Our goal is to understand perceptions of body image and lifestyle in Hispanics with HIV to adapt interventions appropriately. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 22 Hispanic PLWH and 6 providers. Purposive sampling selected patient participants across weights and genders. Interviews were coded and analyzed using grounded theory, comparing perspectives between patients with and without obesity, and patients and providers. Results: Participants felt obesity and diabetes were “normal” in the community. Patients exhibited understanding of healthy diet and lifestyle but felt incapable of maintaining either. Traditionally Hispanic foods were blamed for local obesity prevalence. Five patients equated weight with health and weight loss with illness, and four expressed concerns that weight loss could lead to unintentional disclosure of HIV status. Participants with overweight or obesity expressed awareness of their weight and felt shamed by providers. Providers found weight loss interventions to be ineffective. Conclusion: Interventions in this population must address identified barriers: overweight/obesity as a normative value, lack of self-efficacy, cultural beliefs surrounding food, fear of HIV-associated weight loss and stigma, and provider perspectives on intervention futility

Intellectual Property Rights: Talking Points for RP-US FTA Negotiations

Intellectual property rights-copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and related rights-have become increasingly important with the advent of increased international trade, global and knowledge-based economy and fast developing technology. A strong intellectual property rights regime is necessary in order to attract foreign trade and direct investments. For this reason, the protection of intellectual property rights has become an important negotiating item in all FTAs which the United States has entered into. In view of the proposed RP-US FTA negotiations, this paper seeks to determine whether the existing intellectual property regime in the Philippines provides adequate and sufficient legal protection of intellectual property rights. It also seeks to determine whether the administrative and judicial processes are adequate and speedy and acceptable in the enforcement and protection of said rights in the light of FTAs already entered into by the United States with other countries, in general, and with Singapore, in particular, which will be the benchmark for the RP-US FTA. Other relevant issues in the protection of intellectual property rights such as the annual review of ountries by the United States Trade Representative in relation to Special 301 of the U.S. Trade Law; piracy of optical media, including books and pharmaceuticals; and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) are also discussed. The author proposes certain provisions to be added to the Intellectual Property Code; sustained, consistent and stricter implementation of intellectual property laws including more efforts at curbing piracy; and more importantly, a strong political will and a strong determination to strengthen intellectual property rights, as necessary to make the IPR regime up to par with U.S. and international

Occurrence of Legionella in beach shower facilities

It has been analyzed 36 samples of water proceeding from beach shower facilities: 7 of these were found to be contaminated with Legionella (19.44%). In three showers, L. pneumophila 1 was reported, in two L. pneumophila 2-14; in another two cases L. pneumophila 2-14 was found together with Legionella sp. and L. pneumophila 1 together with L. pneumophila 2-14. This study, which confirms the circulation of Legionella in our region of southern Italy, extends the list of the possible sources of infection, including also public and private beaches among the contaminated sites. It is the Authors opinion that when evaluating the risk in these cases we should take into account that the crowding of the beaches in the summer months and the communal nature of shower use in these periods increases the frequency of exposure of children and old people. These vulnerable categories are significantly more likely to develop the disease once infected

The role of fluoride in the nano-heterogeneity of bioactive glasses

Fluoride-containing bioactive phospho‐silicate glasses have recently attracted interest for dental applications, particularly as remineralising additives in dentifrices, and are potentially attractive for bone regeneration, particularly in patients suffering from osteoporosis. The incorporation of fluoride into phospho­‐silicate glasses is also attractive from a structural viewpoint: Fluoride complexes modifier ions rather than binding to the silicate network, and it thereby adds a significant ionic contribution to the average character of chemical bonds in the system. Molecular dynamics simulations have suggested that this also results in the formation of nano-­eterogeneities. In this paper, we review the current knowledge on the structural role of fluoride in bioactive glasses, with a particular focus on inhomogeneities on a nano-­‐scale

KEEFEKTIFAN KOMUNIKASI KELOMPOK TANI DALAM PENERAPAN PROGRAM JARWOBANGPLUS DI KECAMATAN GADINGREJO KABUPATEN PRINGSEWU

This study aims to analyze factors related to group communication effectiveness on Jarwobangplus Program implementation and to find out the relationship between the group communication effectiveness and the implementation of Jarwobangplus Program in Gadingrejo Subdistrict, Pringsewu Regency.  The location of this study was chosen purposively in Gadingrejo Subdistric, Pringsewu Regency and respondents were 86 of rice farmers committed to Jarwobangplus program. Data of this research was collected on April-May 2016.  The research employed survey method using descriptive analysis and used nonparametric statistic test correlation Rank Spearman to test the hypothesis.  The results showed that the factors that related to group communication effectiveness are group cohesion level, leadership type and semantics disruption frequency. There was a significant correlation between the group communication effectiveness and the Jarwobangplus Program implementation in Gadingrejo Subdistrict, Pringsewu Regency with rs score of 0.233.  It means that Jarwobangplus Program implementation achievement was determined by group communication effectiveness as much as 23.3 percent. Key words: group communication effectiveness, Jarwobangplus Progra

EFFECT OF PROFITABILITY, FIRM SIZE, AND LEVERAGE ON CASH HOLDING IN MANUFACTURING COMPANIES

The purpose of this empirical research is to examine about the effect of profitability, firm size, and leverage on cash holding in manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2015 to 2017. The research used 67 manufacturing companies that were selected using purposive sampling method for a total of 201 data in three years. Data processing technique using multiple regression analysis with SPSS version 24.0 . The results of this research shows that all independent variables have influence on cash holding simultaneously. The partially test showed that profitability have positive and significant influence on cash holding, firm size does not significantly influence cash holding, and leverage have negative and significant influence on cash holding. Keywords:cash holding, profitability, firm size, leverag

TYPES OF IDIOMS AND STRATEGIES IN TRANSLATING IDIOMS IN THE NOVEL THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN BY PAULA HAWKINS

The objectives of this research are to identify the types and strategies in translating idioms used in Paula Hawkins' novel The Girl on the Train. The research methodology applied isdescriptive qualitative.The results show that the types of idioms (ODell and McCarthy 2010)found in the novel are similes, binomials, proverbs, euphemisms, cliché, and fixed statement and other language. Using the theory by Baker (2011), the idioms in the novel are mainly translated using the strategy; translation by phrase. Other strategies that are also applied are using idioms of similar meanings but dissimilar forms, using idioms of singular and form, translating by omission of entire idioms, and borrowing the source language. Keywords: Idioms; Translation Strategy

Random walks and search in time-varying networks

The random walk process underlies the description of a large number of real world phenomena. Here we provide the study of random walk processes in time varying networks in the regime of time-scale mixing; i.e. when the network connectivity pattern and the random walk process dynamics are unfolding on the same time scale. We consider a model for time varying networks created from the activity potential of the nodes, and derive solutions of the asymptotic behavior of random walks and the mean first passage time in undirected and directed networks. Our findings show striking differences with respect to the well known results obtained in quenched and annealed networks, emphasizing the effects of dynamical connectivity patterns in the definition of proper strategies for search, retrieval and diffusion processes in time-varying network