Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 44, No. 2

• Fortune\u27s Stepchildren: Slovaks in Pennsylvania • Slovak Churches: Religious Diversity and Ethnic Communities • Slovak Fraternal-Benefit Societies in Pennsylvania • Early Fraktur Referring to Birth and Baptism in Pennsylvania: A Taufpatenbrief from Berks County for a Child Born in 1751 • The Solitary Sisters of Saronhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/pafolklifemag/1142/thumbnail.jp

Digital Food and foodways. How online food practices and narratives shape the Italian diaspora

The article discusses the role of online food practices and narratives in the formation of transnational identities and communities. Data has been collected in the framework of a doctoral research project undertaken by the author between 2009 and 2012 with a follow-up in 2014. The working hypothesis of this article is that the way Italians talk about food online and offline, the importance they give to ‘authentic’ food, and the way they share their love for Italian food with other members of the same diaspora reveal original insights into migrants’ personal and collective identities, their sense of belonging to the transnational community and processes of adjustment to a new place. Findings suggest that online culinary narratives and practices shape the Italian diaspora in unique ways, through the development of forms of virtual commensality and online mealtime socialization on Skype and by affecting intra and out-group relationships, thus working as elements of cultural identification and differentiation

Concomitant infection of the tricuspid valve and right ventricle free wall after chest tube insertion in a young patient without predisposing diseases

Infective endocarditis (IE) is one of the most dreaded complications of healthcare-associated bloodstream infection. It is an important and potentially lethal complication of medical care and there is incidence evidence of it in this population. We describe a case of concomitant infection of the tricuspid valve and right ventricle free wall after chest tube insertion for spontaneous pneumothorax in a young patient without predisposing diseases. </jats:p

Relation of serum spondin-2 levels with cardiac morphology and inflammatory parameters in hemodialysis patients

PubMedID: 30276603Purpose: Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality in chronic kidney disease. Spondin-2 (SP-2), an intrinsic cardio-protective factor, prevents maladaptive remodeling. We aimed to determine the relation between serum SP-2 levels and cardiac morphology along with inflammatory parameters in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Method: The study comprised a total of 95 patients (61 females) receiving HD treatment three times a week for at least 6 months, and a control group consisting of age and gender matched 62 subjects (34 females). SP-2 levels were determined by ELISA. Echocardiography, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement were performed in all subjects. The relation of serum SP-2 levels with CIMT, echocardiographic parameters, CRP, and absolute neutrophil-to-lymphocyte count ratio (NLR) was evaluated by correlation analysis. Results: SP-2 levels were found to be significantly higher in the HD group than the control group (16.660 [8.719–20.938] vs. 3.988 [2.702–8.042] ng/L; P < 0.001). CIMT, CRP, and NLR were also higher in HD group (P < 0.005, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). Significantly positive correlation was found between SP-2 and left ventricular mass, left ventricular mass index, CRP, and NLR, but no correlation was determined between SP-2 and CIMT. SP-2 was not statistically significant variable for the determination of LVH in univariate logistic regression analysis [Wald = 2.375; OR (95% CI) = 1.000 (0.999–1.000), P = 0.123]. Conclusion: Serum SP-2 levels were higher in HD patients compared to the population with normal renal functions. The results suggest that SP-2, an uremic toxin, might be effective over a complex pathway in the inflammatory process and in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases of patients under HD treatment. © 2018, Springer Nature B.V

Relation of Serum ADMA, Apelin-13 and LOX-1 Levels with Inflammatory and Echocardiographic Parameters in Hemodialysis Patients

PubMedID: 29205940Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Nitric oxide has a critical role in both endothelial dysfunction and the atherosclerosis process. We aimed to investigate the relationships between serum asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA), LOX-1, and Apelin-13 levels, which are known to act over nitric oxide with endothelial dysfunction and cardiac morphology as well as with each other in hemodialysis patients. The study comprised a total of 120 patients (53 females and 67 males) receiving hemodialysis three times a week for at least 6 months and an age-gender matched control group (55 females and 58 males). Serum ADMA, LOX-1, and Apelin-13 levels were measured using the ELISA technique. Echocardiography, 24-h blood pressure monitoring by the Holter and carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) measurement was performed on all of the included subjects. The associations between serum ADMA, LOX-1, and Apelin-13 levels with CIMT, echocardiographic parameters [left ventricular mass (LVM) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI)], and inflammatory markers [high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR)] were evaluated by correlation analysis. Serum ADMA, Apelin-13, and LOX-1 levels were significantly higher in the hemodialysis group than the controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, and P < 0.001, respectively). CIMT, hsCRP, and NLR levels were also significantly higher in the hemodialysis group (P < 0.05, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Significant correlations were observed among the serum ADMA, Apelin-13, and LOX-1 levels. Moreover, notably positive correlations were found between these three biochemical markers and LVM, LVMI, hsCRP, and CIMT. Serum ADMA, Apelin-13, and LOX-1 levels can be indicators not only for the inflammatory process but also for the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases in hemodialysis patients. © 2017 International Society for Apheresis, Japanese Society for Apheresis, and Japanese Society for Dialysis Therap

Ceraflex versus Amplatzer occluder for secundum atrial septal defect closure Multicenter clinical experience

WOS: 000352651800008PubMed ID: 25662695The Ceraflex atrial septal defect occluder is an alternative device to the Amplatzer septal occluder with some structural innovations including flexible connection, increased flexibility, and minimized amount of implant material. We evaluated the efficiency and safety of the Ceraflex septal occluder device in percutaneous closure of secundum atrial septal defects. This was a prospective, nonrandomized, multicenter study of patients undergoing transcatheter closure for an atrial septal defect with the Ceraflex and the Amplatzer septal occluder devices. A clinical evaluation and follow-up transthoracic echocardiography were performed at 1, 6, and 12 months. Between 2010 and 2014, 125 patients underwent atrial septal defect closure with the Ceraflex septal occluder (n = 58) and the Amplatzer septal occluder (n = 67) under transesophageal echocardiography guidance. Patient characteristics, the stretched size of the defect, device size, and fluoroscopy time were similar between the groups. The immediate and follow-up complete occlusion rates for both groups were 100%. There was no device embolization, procedure-related stroke, or pericardial effusion. The Ceraflex septal occluder is a safe and efficient device for closure of secundum atrial septal defects with no procedural complications. The Ceraflex has similar outcomes when compared with the Amplatzer septal occluder device. The advantage of the Ceraflex septal occluder device is that it can be deployed without the tension of the delivery catheter