Digital Texts and Textual Data: A Pedagogical Anthology

This collection features pedagogical artifacts created by the participants of the 2018-2019 NEH Institute for Advanced Topics in the Digital Humanities, “Textual Data and Digital Texts in the Undergraduate Classroom.” The artifacts--assignments, syllabi, sample student work, rubrics, workshops, and more--are grouped thematically in four sections: digital exhibits and narratives, textual analysis, distant reading and data visualization, and data-driven research. Each artifact begins with an overview in which the creator summarizes the artifact type, the intended audience, the time required, and the DH method and tool used, and provides a brief description of the artifact

Treatment of an acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy with propionate in a 33-year-old male

Background: The aim of this work was to report a case of an acute motor and sensory axonal neuropathy (AMSAN) treated with propionate to evaluate its therapeutic potential in AMSAN. Materials and methods: The patient was investigated by clinical examination, electroneurography, high-resolution nerve ultrasound and confocal corneal microscopy at baseline and the 2 month follow up. We compared the outcome with those of five other patients with acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) and AMSAN of who were referred to our neurology department in the past 5 years. Results: Considering the poor prognosis of patients with acute axonal neuropathies and in comparison with the previously treated patients with AMAN or AMSAN in our clinic, the regression of our patient’s symptoms and the improvement in the additional examinations under propionate seemed exceptionally good. Conclusion: Propionate may have an additional therapeutic effect in autoimmune inflammatory neuropathies

Serum neurofilament light chain as outcome marker for intensive care unit patients

Objective!#!Neurofilament light chain (NfL) in serum indicates neuro-axonal damage in diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. Reliable markers to enable early estimation of clinical outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether serum NfL levels are a possible biomarker for prediction of outcome of ICU patients.!##!Methods!#!Thirty five patients were prospectively examined from admission to ICU until discharge from the hospital or death. NfL levels were measured longitudinally by a Simoa assay.!##!Results!#!NfL was elevated in all ICU patients and reached its maximum at day 35 of ICU treatment. Outcome determined by modified Rankin Scale at the end of the follow-up period correlated with NfL level at admission, especially in the group of patients with impairment of the central nervous system (n = 25, r = 0.56, p = 0.02).!##!Conclusion!#!NfL could be used as a prognostic marker for outcome of ICU patients, especially in patients with impairment of the central nervous system

Clinical and sociodemographic determinants of disease-specific health-related quality of life in long-term breast cancer survivors

PURPOSE: It is important to monitor disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in breast cancer (BC) survivors to identify potential unmet supportive care needs. However, previous studies were characterized by small samples of mostly short-term survivors and were limited to certain age ranges, stages and/or treatments. METHODS: We used data from 3045 long-term BC survivors (5–15 years post-diagnosis) recruited in a German multi-regional population-based study. We assessed disease-specific HRQoL with the EORTC QLQ-BR23, scoring from 0 to 100. Differences in functioning and symptoms according to age at survey, self-reported treatments, stage, and disease status (disease-free vs. active disease) were assessed with multiple regression. Active disease was defined as any self-report of recurrence, metastasis or second primary cancer after the index cancer. RESULTS: Older BC survivors reported a higher body image and a better future perspective, but lower sexual functioning. Survivors aged 30–49 years who had breast-conserving therapy or mastectomy with breast reconstruction reported a better body image compared to those who had mastectomy only. We also found differences in symptoms according to treatments in some age groups. Stage at diagnosis was not associated with HRQoL overall and in most age subgroups. Disease-free BC survivors aged 30–79 years reported a better future perspective and less systemic therapy side effects than those with active disease. CONCLUION: Several treatment-associated symptoms and functioning detriments were found 5–15 years after diagnosis. The results emphasize the need of a comprehensive, individualized survivorship care, recognizing differential needs of long-term BC survivors according to age, treatment modalities, and disease status

High-resolution nerve ultrasound to assess nerve echogenicity, fascicular count, and cross-sectional area using semiautomated analysis

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Little is known about echogenicity and fascicular structure observed in high-resolution nerve ultrasound (HRUS) in both healthy subjects and patients with peripheral nerve disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of echogenicity, fascicle count, and fascicle size analysis, to create standard values and compare these parameters to patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). METHODS Median, ulnar, radial, tibial, and fibular nerve of 79 healthy subjects and patients were scanned by one examiner using HRUS. Image analysis regarding echogenicity, fascicle count, and fascicle cross-sectional area (CSA) was performed by two independent raters semiautomatically using ImageJ. Pearson correlation coefficient $\it r$ reflected interrater reliability (IR), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) determined intrarater reliability (IAR). Results of healthy subjects were compared to 20 patients with CIDP by analysis of variance. RESULTS IR was very good for echogenicity ($\it r$ = .9) and good for fascicle count and size of the largest fascicle ($\it r$ = .64/.56). IAR was very good for all three parameters (ICC = .9/.83/.74). Healthy subjects had a wide range of values. CIDP patients were in range of healthy subjects. Clinically progressive CIDP patients (defined as an increase in Overall Disability Sum Score by $\geq$1 point) had a lower fraction of black than healthy controls and stable CIDP patients ($\it P$ < .001). CONCLUSION Semiautomated evaluation of echogenicity, fascicle count, and fascicle CSA is reliable. Cutoff values to differentiate between healthy persons and CIDP do not exist. Echogenicity is useful for detecting clinically progressive CIDP patients and should be used in clinical context or intraindividual course

"Still a Cancer Patient" - Associations of Cancer Identity With Patient-Reported Outcomes and Health Care Use Among Cancer Survivors

BACKGROUND: The concept of cancer identity is gaining attention as more individuals are living with cancer as a chronic illness. Research is limited, and results suggest that a self-identity as “cancer patient” rather than a “cancer survivor” is associated with depression and lower health-related quality of life (HRQL). We aimed to identify factors associated with patient identity and investigate the associations between patient identity and treatment, health care use, psychosocial distress, and HRQL. METHODS: We used data from the population-based CAncEr Survivorship: A multi-Regional (CAESAR) study. Breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer survivors diagnosed during 1994–2004 completed a postal survey on patient identity, HRQL, psychological distress, and health care use in 2009–2011. We calculated odds ratios and the 95% confidence interval of having a patient identity. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, and cancer stage, where appropriate. RESULTS: Of the 6057 respondents, colorectal cancer survivors (25%) were least likely to consider themselves patients, and prostate cancer survivors (36%) the most likely. Being male, younger age, comorbidity, higher cancer stage, and disease recurrence were associated with patient identity. Treatment was associated with patient identity, except among female colorectal cancer survivors. Having a patient identity was associated with higher health care use within the past 12 months. Survivors who still consider themselves patients were more likely to be depressed and reported significantly lower HRQL. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of cancer survivors still consider themselves patients five to 15 years postdiagnosis. Sensitivity to individuals’ self-identity should be considered when exploring their cancer experience

Serum neurofilament light chain as outcome marker for intensive care unit patients

$\bf Objective$ Neurofilament light chain (NfL) in serum indicates neuro-axonal damage in diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. Reliable markers to enable early estimation of clinical outcome of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether serum NfL levels are a possible biomarker for prediction of outcome of ICU patients. $\bf Methods$ Thirty five patients were prospectively examined from admission to ICU until discharge from the hospital or death. NfL levels were measured longitudinally by a Simoa assay. $\bf Results$ NfL was elevated in all ICU patients and reached its maximum at day 35 of ICU treatment. Outcome determined by modified Rankin Scale at the end of the follow-up period correlated with NfL level at admission, especially in the group of patients with impairment of the central nervous system ($\it n$ = 25, $\it r$ = 0.56, $\it p$ = 0.02). $\bf Conclusion$ NfL could be used as a prognostic marker for outcome of ICU patients, especially in patients with impairment of the central nervous system

Two-dimensional charge order stabilized in clean polytype heterostructures

Strong evidence suggests that transformative correlated electron behavior may exist only in unrealized clean-limit 2D materials such as 1T-TaS2. Unfortunately, experiment and theory suggest that extrinsic disorder in free standing 2D layers impedes correlation-driven quantum behavior. Here we demonstrate a new route to realizing fragile 2D quantum states through epitaxial polytype engineering of van der Waals materials. The isolation of truly 2D charge density waves (CDWs) between metallic layers stabilizes commensurate long-range order and lifts the coupling between neighboring CDW layers to restore mirror symmetries via interlayer CDW twinning. The twinned-commensurate charge density wave (tC-CDW) reported herein has a single metal-insulator phase transition at ~350 K as measured structurally and electronically. Fast in-situ transmission electron microscopy and scanned nanobeam diffraction map the formation of tC-CDWs. This work introduces epitaxial polytype engineering of van der Waals materials to access latent 2D ground states distinct from conventional 2D fabrication

Pathological spontaneous activity as a prognostic marker in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

$\textbf {Background and purpose}$ Monitoring of the disease course of patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) remains challenging because nerve conduction studies do not adequately correlate with functional disability. The prognostic value of pathological spontaneous activity (PSA) in needle electromyography (EMG) in different CIDP subgroups in a longitudinal context has, to date, not been analysed. We aimed to determine whether PSA was a prognostic marker or a marker of disease activity in a cohort of patients with CIDP. $\bf Methods$ A total of 127 patients with CIDP spectrum disorder were retrospectively analysed over 57 $\pm$ 47 months regarding the occurrence of PSA (fibrillations and positive sharp waves). The presence of PSA at diagnosis, newly occurring PSA, and continuously present PSA were longitudinally correlated with clinical disability using the Inflammatory Neuropathy Cause and Treatment Overall Disability Sum Score (INCAT-ODSS) and CIDP subtype. $\bf Results$ Pathological spontaneous activity occurred in 49.6% of all CIDP patients at first diagnosis. More frequent evidence of PSA was significantly associated with a higher INCAT-ODSS at the last follow-up. Continuous and new occurrence of PSA were associated with higher degree of disability at the last follow-up. The majority of patients with sustained evidence of PSA were characterized by an atypical phenotype, higher degree of disability, and the need for escalation of treatment. $\bf Conclusions$ Pathological spontaneous activity was associated with a higher degree of disability and occurred more frequently in atypical CIDP variants according to the longitudinal data of a large cohort of patients with CIDP. Our results showed that EMG examination was an adequate marker for disease progression and should be evaluated during the disease course