Faint Glimmers of Civilization: Mediated Nostalgia and “The Grand Budapest Hotel”

This paper explores how Wes Anderson strategically uses nostalgia in his 2014 film The Grand Budapest Hotel as a form of social commentary on the European interwar period and its relation to the current historical era

High yield of synchronous lesions in referred patients with large lateral spreading colorectal tumors

Background and Aims There are few data on the prevalence of synchronous colorectal lesions in patients who have large lateral spreading tumors (LLSTs). We sought to describe the rate of synchronous lesions found in patients who underwent endoscopic resection of large sessile adenomas and serrated lesions. Methods This is a retrospective assessment of a prospectively created database of 728 consecutive patients with resected LLSTs who underwent complete clearing of the colon during 2 colonoscopies by a single expert endoscopist. Results The 728 patients with resected LLSTs and complete clearing had 4578 synchronous lesions, including 584 patients (80.2%) with at least 1 synchronous conventional adenoma, 132 (18.1%) with at least 1 synchronous conventional adenoma ≥ 20 mm in size, 294 (40.4%) with at least 1 synchronous advanced conventional adenoma, and 6 patients with a synchronous lesion with cancer. Patients with an index large sessile conventional adenoma compared with those with an index large serrated lesion had on average more synchronous conventional adenomas (4.8 vs 2.9, P = .001) and fewer synchronous serrated lesions (1.4 vs 4.5, P < .001). Of the 97 patients with a serrated class index lesion, 28 (28.9%) met criteria for serrated polyposis. Conclusions There is a very high prevalence of synchronous lesions, including other large and advanced synchronous lesions, in patients with flat or sessile conventional adenomas and serrated colorectal polyps. Patients with LLSTs in the colon need detailed clearing of the rest of the colon. Patients referred for endoscopic resection of serrated lesions ≥ 20 mm have a very high prevalence of serrated polyposis. This study has potential implications for further stratification of high-risk patient groups in postpolypectomy surveillance guidelines

Regional center for complex colonoscopy: yield of neoplasia in patients with prior incomplete colonoscopy

Background and Aims Incomplete colonoscopy increases the risk of incident proximal colon cancer postcolonoscopy. Incomplete colonoscopy is often followed by barium enema or CT colonography. We sought to describe the yield of completion colonoscopy in a regional center for complex colonoscopy. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of 520 consecutive patients referred to a single colonoscopist over a 14-year period for completion colonoscopy after a previous incomplete examination. Results Colonoscopy was completed to the cecum in 506 of 520 patients (97.3%). A total of 913 conventional adenomas was removed in 277 patients (adenoma detection rate 53.3%). There were 184 adenomas ≥ 1 cm in size or with advanced pathology. There were 525 serrated-class lesions removed in 175 patients, including 54 sessile serrated polyps in 26 patients and 41 hyperplastic polyps greater than 1 cm in 26 patients. Nine colorectal cancers were found. We estimated that approximately 57% of the conventional adenomas, 58% of the sessile serrated polyps, 27% of the hyperplastic polyps, and all 9 cancers detected by the completion colonoscopy were beyond the extent of the previous examination. Conclusions The yield of completion colonoscopy in a cohort of patients with previous failed cecal intubation was substantial. Regional centers for complex colonoscopy can provide high rates of cecal intubation in cases of incomplete colonoscopy and high yields of lesions in these cases. The regional center for complex colonoscopy is an important medical service

Using a Logic Programming Framework to Control Database Query Dialogues in Natural Language

We present a natural language question/answering system to interface the University of Évora databases that uses clarification dialogs in order to clarify user questions. It was developed in an integrated logic programming framework, based on constraint logic programming using the GnuProlog(-cx) language [2,11] and the ISCO framework [1]. The use of this LP framework allows the integration of Prolog-like inference mechanisms with classes and inheritance, constraint solving algorithms and provides the connection with relational databases, such as PostgreSQL. This system focus on the questions’ pragmatic analysis, to handle ambiguity, and on an efficient dialogue mechanism, which is able to place relevant questions to clarify the user intentions in a straightforward manner. Proper Nouns resolution and the pp-attachment problem are also handled. This paper briefly presents this innovative system focusing on its ability to correctly determine the user intention through its dialogue capability

Social evaluation at a distance – facets of stereotype content about student groups in higher distance education

In the academic domain, belonging to a negatively stereotyped group can impair performance and peer relationships. In higher distance education, stereotypes may be particularly influential as face-to-face contact is limited and non-traditional students who are at risk of being stereotyped are overrepresented. Still, research on stereotypes in higher distance education is sparse. The current research addresses this gap by investigating the Big Two of social perception (warmth, competence) and subordinate facets (friendliness, morality, assertiveness, ability, conscientiousness) in the context of higher distance education. It tests a) how well models with warmth/competence or the facets fit the data, b) whether stereotypes in higher distance education depend on the student group, and c) how the Big Two and subordinate facets predict intergroup emotions and behavioral intentions in higher distance education. An online survey with N = 626 students (74% female) of a large distance university showed that a measurement model with four facets (i.e., friendliness, morality, ability, conscientiousness) reveals adequate model fit for 12 student groups. Perceived stereotypes were positive for female students, older students, and students with children. However, migrant as well as younger students were perceived negatively. Across groups, stereotype content facets predicted intergroup emotions and behavioral intentions of facilitation or harm. Implications for the influence of negative stereotypes in higher distance education are discussed

Experiences of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy Services for Perinatal Mental Health Difficulties: a Qualitative Study of Women's and Therapists' Views

BACKGROUND: Perinatal mental health difficulties are highly prevalent. In England, the Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) programme provides evidence-based psychological treatment, predominantly in the form of brief manualized cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), to people with mild to moderate depression or anxiety. Yet little is known about the experiences of women referred to IAPT with perinatal mental health difficulties. AIMS: The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate how women view IAPT support for perinatal mental health. We also gained the perspective of IAPT therapists. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twelve women who had been referred to and/or received therapy from IAPT during the perinatal period. Additionally, fourteen IAPT therapists participated in two focus groups. Thematic analysis was used. RESULTS: Key themes centred on barriers to access and the need to tailor support to (expectant) mothers. Women and therapists suggested that experiences could be improved by supporting healthcare professionals to provide women with more help with referrals, better tailoring support to the perinatal context, improving perinatal-specific training, supervision and resources, and offering a more individualized treatment environment. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, women reported positive experiences of support offered by IAPT for perinatal mental health difficulties. However, services should seek to facilitate access to support and to enable therapists to better tailor treatment

Upregulation of Defensins in Burn Sheep Small Intestine

Objective: The aim of this study was to visualize and localize the sheep antimicrobials, β-defensins 1, 2, and 3, (SBD-1, SBD-2, SBD-3), sheep neutrophil defensin alpha (SNP-1), and the cathelicidin LL-37 in sheep small intestine after burn injury, our hypothesis being that these compounds would be upregulated in an effort to overcome a compromised endothelial lining. Response to burn injury includes the release of proinflammatory cytokines and systemic immune suppression that, if untreated, can progress to multiple organ failure and death, so protective mechanisms have to be initiated and implemented. Methods: Tissue sections were probed with antibodies to the antimicrobials and then visualized with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies and subjected to fluorescence deconvolution microscopy and image reconstruction. Results: In both the sham and burn samples, all the aforementioned antimicrobials were seen in each of the layers of small intestine, the highest concentration being localized to the epithelium. SBD-2, SBD-3, and SNP-1 were upregulated in both enterocytes and Paneth cells, while SNP-1 and LL-37 showed increases in both the inner circular and outer longitudinal muscle layers of the muscularis externa following burn injury. Each of the defensins, except SBD-1, was also seen in between the muscle layers of the externa and while burn caused slight increases of SBD-2, SBD-3, and SNP-1 in this location, LL-37 content was significantly decreased. Conclusion: That while each of these human antimicrobials is present in multiple layers of sheep small intestine, SBD-2, SBD-3, SNP-1, and LL-37 are upregulated in the specific layers of the small intestine

EUS-guided fine needle injection is superior to direct endoscopic injection of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for the treatment of gastric variceal bleeding

Background Endoscopic injection of cyanoacrylate into gastric varices may be performed by EUS-guided fine needle injection (EUS-FNI) or direct endoscopic injection (DEI). The aim of this study is to compare the rate of recurrent GV bleeding and adverse events between DEI and EUS-FNI for treatment of GV. Methods In a single-center study, a retrospective cohort of patients with actively/recently bleeding or high-risk GV treated with DEI were compared with a prospective cohort of similar patients treated with EUS-FNI. Repeat endoscopy after index treatment was performed 3 months later or earlier if rebleeding occurred. The main outcomes assessed were rates of GV or overall rebleeding and adverse events. Results Forty patients (mean age 57.2 ± 9.1 years, 73% male) and 64 patients (mean age 58.0 ± 12.5 years, 52% male) underwent DEI and EUS-FNI, respectively. Compared to the DEI group, the frequency of isolated gastric varices type 1 (IGV1) were higher (p < 0.001) but MELD scores were lower (p = 0.004) in the EUS-FNI group. At index endoscopy, EUS-FNI utilized a lower mean volume of cyanoacrylate (2.0 ± 0.8 mL vs. 3.3 ± 1.3 mL; p < 0.001) and injected a greater number of varices (1.6 ± 0.7 vs. 1.1 ± 0.4; p < 0.001) compared to DEI. Overall, GV rebleeding [5/57 (8.8%) vs. 9/38 (23.7%); p = 0.045] and non-GV-related gastrointestinal bleeding [7/64 (10.9%) vs. 11/40 (27.5%); p = 0.030] were less frequent in the EUS-FNI group compared to the DEI group, respectively. Adverse event rates were similar (20.3% vs. 17.5%, p = 0.723). Conclusions EUS-guided CYA injection of active or recently bleeding GV in patients with portal hypertension appears to decrease the rate of GV rebleeding despite injection of more varices and less CYA volume during the initial endoscopic procedure. Adverse events are similar between the two groups. EUS-FNI appears to be the preferred strategy for treatment of these patients