Choreographing and Reinventing Chinese Diasporic Identities - An East-West Collaboration

In demonstrating Eastern- and Western-based Chinese diasporic dances as equally critical and question-provoking in Chinese identity reconstructions, this research compares choreographic implications in the Hong Kong-Taiwan and Toronto-Vancouver dance milieus of recent decades (1990s 2010s). An auto-ethnographic study of Yuri Ngs (Hong Kong) and Lin Hwai-mins (Taiwan) works versus my own (Toronto) and Wen Wei Wangs (Vancouver), it probes identities choreographed in place-constituted third spaces between Chinese selves and Euro-American Others. I suggest that these identities perpetrate hybrid movements and aesthetics of geo-cultural-political distinctness from the Chinese ancestral land ones manifesting ultimate glocalization intersecting global political economies and local cultural-creative experiences. Echoing the diasporic habitats cultural and socio-historical specificities, they are constantly (re) appropriated and reinvented via translation, interpretation, negotiation, and integration of East-West cultural-artistic and socio-political ingredients. The event unfolds such identities placial uniqueness that indicates the same Chinese roots yet divergent diasporic routes. In reviewing Ngs balletic and contemporary photo-choreographic productions of post-British colonial Hong Kong-ness alongside Lins repertories of Chinese traditional, Taiwan indigenous, American modern and Other artistic impacts noting Taiwanese-ness, the study unearths cultural roots as the core source of Chinese identity rebuilding from East Asian displacements. It traces an ingrained third space between Chinese historic-social values, Western cultural elements, and Other performing artistries of Hong Kong and Taiwanese belongings. Juxtaposing my Chinese traditional-based and transcultural Toronto dance projects with Wangs Vancouver balletic-contemporary fusions of Chinese iconicity, Chinese-Canadian identities marked by a hyphenated (third/in-between) space are associated as varying North American self-generated routes of social and artistic possibilities in a Canadian mosaic-cosmopolitical setting the persistent state of Canadian becoming. My conclusion resolves the examined choreographic cases as continually developed through third-space instigated East-West cultural-political crossings plus interpenetrative local creativities and global receptivity. Of gains or losses, struggles or rebirths, the cases of placial-temporal significations elicit multiple questions on Chinese diasporic cultural infusions, social sustenance, artistic integrity, and identity representations amid East-West negotiations my experiential reflection on the dance role and potency in the reimagining and remaking of Chinese diasporic identities

Functional Improvement of Regulatory T Cells From Rheumatoid Arthritis Subjects Induced by Capsular Polysaccharide Glucuronoxylomannogalactan

Objective: Regulatory T cells (Treg) play a critical role in the prevention of autoimmunity, and the suppressive activity of these cells is impaired in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of the present study was to investigate function and properties of Treg of RA patients in response to purified polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannogalactan (GXMGal). Methods: Flow cytometry and western blot analysis were used to investigate the frequency, function and properties of Treg cells. Results: GXMGal was able to: i) induce strong increase of FOXP3 on CD4+ T cells without affecting the number of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ Treg cells with parallel increase in the percentage of non-conventional CD4+CD25-FOXP3+ Treg cells; ii) increase intracellular levels of TGF-beta1 in CD4+CD25-FOXP3+ Treg cells and of IL-10 in both CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ and CD4+CD25-FOXP3+ Treg cells; iii) enhance the suppressive activity of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ and CD4+CD25-FOXP3+ Treg cells in terms of inhibition of effector T cell activity and increased secretion of IL-10; iv) decrease Th1 response as demonstrated by inhibition of T-bet activation and down-regulation of IFN-gamma and IL-12p70 production; v) decrease Th17 differentiation by down-regulating pSTAT3 activation and IL-17A, IL-23, IL-21, IL-22 and IL-6 production. Conclusion: These data show that GXMGal improves Treg functions and increases the number and function of CD4+CD25-FOXP3+ Treg cells of RA patients. It is suggested that GXMGal may be potentially useful for restoring impaired Treg functions in autoimmune disorders and for developing Treg cell-based strategies for the treatment of these diseases

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

A Multicenter, International Collaborative Study for AJCC-Staging of Retinoblastoma: Metastasis-Associated Mortality

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual to estimate metastatic and mortality rates for children with retinoblastoma (RB). Design: International, multicenter, registry-based retrospective case series. Participants: A total of 2190 patients from 18 ophthalmic oncology centers from 13 countries over 6 continents. Methods: Patient-specific data fields for RB were designed and selected by subcommittee. All patients with RB with adequate records to allow tumor staging by the AJCC criteria and follow-up for metastatic disease were studied. Main Outcome Measures: Metastasis-related 5- and 10-year survival data after initial tumor staging were estimated with the KaplaneMeier method depending on AJCC clinical (cTNM) and pathological (pTNM) tumor, node, metastasis category and age, tumor laterality, and presence of heritable trait. Results: Of 2190 patients, the records of 2085 patients (95.2%) with 2905 eyes were complete. The median age at diagnosis was 17.0 months. A total of 1260 patients (65.4%) had unilateral RB. Among the 2085 patients, tumor categories were cT1a in 55 (2.6%), cT1b in 168 (8.1%), cT2a in 197 (9.4%), cT2b in 812 (38.9%), cT3 in 835 (40.0%), and cT4 in 18 (0.9%). Of these, 1397 eyes in 1353 patients (48.1%) were treated with enucleation. A total of 109 patients (5.2%) developed metastases and died. The median time (n ¼ 92) from diagnosis to metastasis was 9.50 months. The 5-year KaplaneMeier cumulative survival estimates by clinical tumor categories were 100% for category cT1a, 98% (95% confidence interval [CI], 97e99) for cT1b and cT2a, 96% (95% CI, 95e97) for cT2b, 89% (95% CI, 88e90) for cT3 tumors, and 45% (95% CI, 31e59) for cT4 tumors. Risk of metastasis increased with increasing cT (and pT) category (P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis confirmed a higher risk of metastasis in category cT3 (hazard rate [HR], 8.09; 95% CI, 2.55e25.70; P < 0.001) and cT4 (HR, 48.55; 95% CI, 12.86e183.27; P < 0.001) compared with category cT1. Age, tumor laterality, and presence of heritable traits did not influence the incidence of metastatic disease. Conclusions: Multicenter, international, internet-based data sharing facilitated analysis of the 8th edition AJCC RB Staging System for metastasis-related mortality and offered a proof of concept yielding quantitative, predictive estimates per category in a large, real-life, heterogeneous patient population with RB.Fil: Tomar, Ankit Singh. The New York Eye Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Finger, Paul T.. The New York Eye Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Gallie, Brenda. The Eye Cancer Clinic, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; CanadáFil: Mallipatna, Ashwin. Hospital for Sick Children; CanadáFil: Kivelä, Tero T.. Helsinki University Hospital; FinlandiaFil: Zhang, Chengyue. Beijing Children's Hospital; ChinaFil: Zhao, Junyang. Beijing Children's Hospital; ChinaFil: Wilson, Matthew W.. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Kim, Jonathan. University of Southern California; Estados UnidosFil: Khetan, Vikas. Sankara Nethralaya; IndiaFil: Ganesan, Suganeswari. Sankara Nethralaya; IndiaFil: Yarovoy, Andrey. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Yarovaya, Vera. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Kotova, Elena. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Yousef, Yacoub A.. King Hussein Cancer Center; JordaniaFil: Nummi, Kalle. University of Helsinki; FinlandiaFil: Ushakova, Tatiana L.. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Yugay, Olga V.. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Polyakov, Vladimir G.. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Ramirez Ortiz, Marco A.. Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez; MéxicoFil: Esparza Aguiar, Elizabeth. Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez; MéxicoFil: Chantada, Guillermo Luis. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Schaiquevich, Paula Susana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fandino, Adriana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Yam, Jason C.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Lau, Winnie W.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Lam, Carol P.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Sharwood, Phillipa. University of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Moorthy, Sonia. KK Women's and Children's Hospital; SingapurFil: Long, Quah Boon. KK Women's and Children's Hospital; Singapu

A Multicenter, International Collaborative Study for American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging of Retinoblastoma. Part II: Treatment Success and Globe Salvage

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual to estimate metastatic and mortality rates for children with retinoblastoma(RB).Design: International, multicenter, registry-based retrospective case series PARTICIPANTS: 2190 patients from 18 ophthalmic oncology centers from 13 countries over 6 continents.Methods: Patient-specific data fields for RB were designed by participating eye cancer specialists. All RB patients with adequate records to allow tumor staging by the AJCC criteria and follow-up for metastatic disease were studied.Main outcome measures: Metastasis-related 5- and 10-year survival data after initial tumor staging were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method depending on AJCC clinical (cTNM) and pathological (pTNM) tumor, node, metastasis category and age, tumor laterality, and presence of heritable trait.Results: Of the 2190 patients, the records of 2085 patients(95.2%) with 2905 eyes were complete. The median age at diagnosis was 17.0 months. 1260 (65.4%) had unilateral RB. Amongst the 2085 patients, tumor categories were cT1a in 55 (2.6%), cT1b 168 (8.1%), cT2a 197 (9.4%), cT2b 812 (38.9%), cT3 835 (40.0%) and cT4 in 18 (0.9%) patients. Of these, 1397 eyes in 1353 patients(48.1%) were treated with enucleation. One hundred and nine patients (5.2%) developed metastases and died. The median time(n=92) from diagnosis to metastasis was 9.50 months. The 5- year Kaplan-Meier cumulative survival estimates by clinical tumor categories were 100% for category cT1a, 98% (95% confidence interval[CI], 97-99) for cT1b and cT2a, 96% (95% CI, 95-97) for cT2b, 89%(95% CI, 88-90) for cT3 tumors, and 45%(95% CI, 31-59) for cT4 tumors, respectively. Risk of metastasis increased with increasing cT (and pT) category(p < .001). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis confirmed a higher risk of metastasis in category cT3 (hazard rate [HR], 8.09; 95% CI, 2.55-25.70; p<0.001) and cT4 (HR, 48.55; 95% CI, 12.86-183.27; p< 0.001) compared to category cT1. Age, tumor laterality and presence of heritable trait did not influence the incidence of metastatic disease.Conclusion: Multicenter, international, internet-based data sharing facilitated analysis of the 8th edition AJCC RB Staging System for metastasis-related mortality and offered a proof of concept yielding quantitative, predictive estimates per category in a large, real life, heterogenous RB patient population.Fil: Singh Tomar, Ankit. The New York Eye Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Finger, Paul T.. The New York Eye Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Gallie, Brenda. Princess Margaret Cancer Centre; CanadáFil: Mallipatna, Ashwin. University Of Toronto. Hospital For Sick Children; CanadáFil: Kivelä, Tero T.. University of Helsinki; FinlandiaFil: Zhang, Chengyue. Beijing Children's Hospital; ChinaFil: Zhao, Junyang. Beijing Children's Hospital; ChinaFil: Wilson, Matthew W.. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Brenna, Rachel C.. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Burges, Michala. University of Tennessee; Estados UnidosFil: Kim, Jonathan. The Vision Center at Children's Hospital Los Angeles; Estados UnidosFil: Khetan, Vikas. Sankara Nethralaya; IndiaFil: Ganesan, Suganeswari. Sankara Nethralaya; IndiaFil: Yarovoy, Andrey. The S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Yarovaya, Vera. The S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Kotova, Elena. The S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery Federal State Institution; RusiaFil: Yousef, Yacoub A.. King Hussein Cancer Center; JordaniaFil: Nummi, Kalle. University of Helsinki; FinlandiaFil: Ushakova, Tatiana L.. N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Yugay, Olga V.. N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Polyakov, Vladimir G.. N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center Oncology of Russian Federation; RusiaFil: Ramirez Ortiz, Marco A.. Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez; MéxicoFil: Esparza Aguiar, Elizabeth. Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez; MéxicoFil: Chantada, Guillermo Luis. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Schaiquevich, Paula Susana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Fandino, Adriana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital de Pediatría "Juan P. Garrahan"; ArgentinaFil: Yam, Jason C.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Lau, Winnie W.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Lam, Carol P.. The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Hong KongFil: Sharwood, Phillipa. University of Sydney; AustraliaFil: Moorthy, Sonia. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital; SingapurFil: Long, Quah Boon. KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital; SingapurFil: Essuman, Vera Adobea. University of Ghana; GhanaFil: Renner, Lorna A.. University of Ghana; GhanaFil: Semenova, Ekaterina. The New York Eye Cancer Center; Estados UnidosFil: Català, Jaume. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu; EspañaFil: Correa Llano, Genoveva. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu; EspañaFil: Carreras, Elisa. Hospital Sant Joan de Déu; Españ