Numerical development—from cognitive functions to neural underpinnings. We are grateful to all authors for their high-quality contributions, the reviewers for their constructive comments and suggestions in the interactive peer-review, and the publisher's editorial team for their excellent support.Living at the beginning of the 21st century requires being numerate because numerical abilities are not only essential for life prospects of individuals but also for economic interests of post-industrial knowledge societies  but also domain-specific  determinants of and influences on typical but also atypical numerical development.The different contributions nicely illustrate that the construct typical numerical development. With respect to cross-domain influences LeFevre et al.  or developmental dyscalculia (DD), Mazzocco et al. (With a particular focus on the determinants of o et al.  showed to et al.  found tho et al.  evaluateo et al.  concludeo et al.  suggesteo et al.  argue tho et al.  describeprocessing of numbers and space. With respect to SNA, Knops et al. (fractions and procedural knowledge about how to manipulate them should be distinguished. Faulkenberry (Another set of studies investigated interactions in the s et al.  observeds et al.  commentes et al.  observeds et al.  argued ts et al.  suggestes et al. . Leibovis et al.  found ths et al.  observeds et al.  suggestekenberry  commentelanguage influences Imbo et al. (Extending the focus on o et al.  and Kleio et al.  specifico et al.  observedAs documented by this broad range of studies dealing with different aspects of numerical development—from behavioral performance to underlying neural substrates, from cross-sectional to longitudinal evaluations, from healthy to clinical populations—the current Research Topic brought together the expertise of researchers from different backgrounds and clearly advanced our understanding of numerical development—a topic with both scientific and every-day relevance.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


Kumaret al.  discuss et al. . Griffitet al.  propose


In vitro and animal studies suggest important roles for various nutrients, some of which are supported by epidemiological studies. However, few well-designed human intervention trials are available to definitively assess the efficacy of different approaches to nutritional management of respiratory diseases. Evidence for the impact of higher intakes of fruit and vegetables is amongst the strongest, yet other dietary nutrients and dietary patterns require evidence from human clinical studies before conclusions can be made about their effectiveness.Diet and nutrition may be important modifiable risk factors for the development, progression and management of obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This review examines the relationship between dietary patterns, nutrient intake and weight status in obstructive lung diseases, at different life stages, from  Diet and nutrition are increasingly becoming recognised as modifiable contributors to chronic disease development and progression. Considerable evidence has emerged indicating the importance of dietary intake in obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in both early life and disease development ,2 and maVarious dietary patterns have been linked to the risk of respiratory disease . The MedThe “western” dietary pattern, prevalent in developed countries, is characterised by high consumption of refined grains, cured and red meats, desserts and sweets, french fries, and high-fat dairy products ,14. Thiset al. [et al. [1 [1 [Fruit and vegetable intake has been investigated for potential benefits in association with respiratory conditions due to their nutrient profile consisting of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre and phytochemicals. The mechanisms by which the nutrients in fruit and vegetables exert beneficial effects in respiratory conditions are discussed in the sections below. Epidemiological evidence reviewed by Saadeh et al.  showed tet al. . In adul [et al.  discusse [et al. , yet in t al. [1 , while al. [1 [1 . We recel. [1 [1 . A recenl. [1 [1 . While sl. [1 [1 , other sl. [1 [1 ,28. Incrl. [1 [1 . Two ranl. [1 [1 . Howeverl. [1 [1 , suggest2, leukotriene (LT) B4 [et al. [1. Several studies using omega-3 PUFA supplementation in COPD are currently underway and will provide important new information to inform the field [Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) from marine sources and supplements have been shown to be anti-inflammatory through several cellular mechanisms including their incorporation into cellular membranes and resulting altered synthesis of eicosanoids . Experim (LT) B4  and acti (LT) B4 . Long ch (LT) B4 . Saddeh  [et al.  reported [et al. ,36. Howe [et al.  and in S [et al. . Similar [et al.  and decr [et al. , AHR [35 [et al. . Materna [et al.  and a re [et al. . The dat [et al. , to date [et al. . Experim [et al.  and impr [et al. , though he field ,48,49. CDietary antioxidants are an important dietary factor in protecting against the damaging effects of oxidative stress in the airways, a characteristic of respiratory diseases . Oxidati1 in both asthma and COPD [α-tocopherol is a form of vitamin E, which helps maintain integrity of membrane fatty acids, by inhibiting lipid peroxidation . Carotenand COPD  and an iand COPD .versus women without asthma, to protect the foetus against damaging effects of oxidative stress [Antioxidants may also be important in asthma during pregnancy, as while oxidative stress commonly increases during normal pregnancies, in women with asthma oxidative stress is heightened . During e stress ,56. Impre stress . Maternae stress ,58. AntiIn vitro data from endothelial cell lines showed that vitamin C could inhibit NF-κB activation by IL-1, TNF-α and block production of IL-8 via mechanisms not dependent on the antioxidant activity of vitamin C [in vivo, have been shown through allergic mouse models of asthma. Jeong et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Vitamin C has been enthusiastically investigated for benefits in asthma and links to asthma prevention. itamin C . Anti-ing et al.  reported [et al.  found th [et al.  and vita [et al. , while a [et al. . Grieger [et al.  also rep [et al. , but not [et al. ,66. Desp [et al.  reported [et al. . Indeed  [et al. . Thus, iet al. [n = 38,597), the risk of developing chronic lung disease over a 10 year supplementation period was reduced by 10% in women using vitamin E supplements  [The vitamin E family comprises of 4 tocopherols and 4 tocotrienols, with the most plentiful in the diet or in tissues being α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol . Vitaminet al.  discuss et al. , while γet al. . Other aet al. ,76. A stet al. . The conet al. , with α-et al. ,79,80, bet al. ,82,83. Aet al. . Vitaminet al. , but notet al. . In the te days) .in vitro proliferative responses in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) [et al. [et al. [Dietary intake of vitamin E lower than recommended dietary intakes has been reported in pregnant women with a family history of allergic disease  and reces (CBMC) . A mecha [et al.  examined [et al.  demonstret al. [in vitro experiments have found that many individual flavonoids have inhibitory effects on IgE mediated immune responses such as histamine secretion by mast cells, shift in cytokine production from Th-2 to Th-1 production and decreased NF-κB activation and inhibition of TNF-α [Flavonoids are potent antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory as well as anti-allergic actions due in part, to their ability to neutralise ROS . There aet al.  present of TNF-α ,99,100. of TNF-α ,103,104.of TNF-α . Howeverof TNF-α . There aof TNF-α . There iof TNF-α . Evidenc2D) modifies production of antimicrobial cathelicidins and defensins that kill bacteria and induce wound repair [In vitro studies also support the link between vitamin D and airway remodelling as active vitamin D inhibits airway smooth muscle (ASM) cell proliferation [et al. [Epidemiological studies show promising associations between vitamin D and lung health; however the mechanisms responsible for these effects are poorly understood. Vitamin D can be obtained from dietary sources or supplementation; however sun exposure is the main contributor to vitamin D levels . While vd repair . Activatd repair . In vitrferation  and defiferation . Furtherferation . Epidemiferation . In chilferation . Also inferation . Other oferation . Several [et al.  found th [et al.  is suppo [et al. , and in  [et al. . Only on [et al. . Data fo [et al. . Blood v [et al. ,125. Exp [et al. . There i [et al. . The VDB [et al. . COPD pr [et al. . COPD ex [et al. . The extSome minerals have also been found to be protective in respiratory conditions. In children, increased intake of magnesium, calcium and potassium is inversely related to asthma prevalence . While set al. [In vitro, leptin also activates alveolar macrophages taken from obese asthmatics, which induces airway inflammation through production of pro-inflammatory cytokines [Overnutrition and resulting obesity are clearly linked with asthma, though the mechanisms involved are still under investigation. The review by Periyalil et al.  describeet al.  contribuet al. , which aet al. . Adiposeet al.  which aret al. . Leptin et al.  and haveet al. . Also leet al. . In vitrytokines . Howeverytokines , howeverytokines . In obesytokines . Neutropytokines , particuytokines , which mytokines . While tytokines .et al. [COPD is characterised not only by pulmonary deficits but also by chronic systemic inflammation and co-morbidities which may develop in response to the metabolic dysregulation that occurs with excess adipose tissue . A recenet al.  describeet al. . Adiponeet al.  and inteet al. . Single et al. . The rolet al. . There iet al. , and theet al. . Animal et al. . Furtheret al. . Howeveret al. ,168. As et al. [Though underweight has not been well studied in asthma, an observational study in Japan reported that subjects with asthma who were underweight had poorer asthma control than their normal weight counterparts . While tet al.  present et al. . The cauet al. . In addiet al. . Also, set al. . Cigaretet al. ,177 and et al. ,179. Theet al. . Increaset al. . Proteinet al.  and is let al. . Increaset al. . Furtheret al. . Systemiet al. ,187. Nutet al. . Furtheret al. ,190. Othet al. ,192,193.et al. ,195. UndDietary intake appears to be important in both the development and management of respiratory diseases, shown through epidemiological and cross-sectional studies and supported by mechanistic studies in animal models. Although more evidence is needed from intervention studies in humans, there is a clear link for some nutrients and dietary patterns.The dietary patterns associated with benefits in respiratory diseases include high fruit and vegetable intake, Mediterranean style diet, fish and omega-3 intake, while fast food intake and westernised dietary patterns have adverse associations. Though antioxidants are associated with positive effects on inflammation, clinical outcomes and respiratory disease prevention, intervention studies of individual antioxidants do not indicate widespread adoption of supplementation . DiffereThe evidence for mechanisms of vitamin D in lung development and immune function are yet to be fully established. It appears that vitamin D is important in respiratory diseases and infections, however the temporal role of vitamin D deficiency in disease onset, pathogenesis and exacerbations and whether supplementation is indicated is yet to be clarified.Overnutrition in respiratory disease is clearly associated with adverse effects, highlighted by detrimental effects induced by immunometabolism. Further understanding of the relationship between mediators of immunometabolism and respiratory diseases and their mechanisms may provide therapeutic options. Undernutrition still poses risk in some respiratory conditions. Appropriate nutritional supplementation in advanced COPD is indicated, and several nutrients appear to be beneficial in COPD development and exacerbation.The field of nutrition and respiratory disease continues to develop and expand, though further work is required in the form of randomised controlled dietary manipulation studies using whole foods to enable provision of evidence based recommendations for managing respiratory conditions.


Journal, Perepechaeva et al. [Y845 transactivation and generation of p53/SMAD3 transcriptional complexes [Mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a progressive disease of the retina and a major cause of vision impairment in the elderly, are areas of intense clinical interest. Early-onset AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness in the western world and appears to involve pathologic angiogenesis, unresolving inflammation, oxidative stress and choroidal fibrosis. It is likely that the development of AMD is largely multifactorial involving chronic exposure to xenobiotics, genetic predisposition to initiation and progression, generation of free radicals and an insufficient anti-oxidant defense system. In this issue of the a et al.  explore a et al.  discuss a et al.  suggest a et al. ,3. This a et al. . SERPINEa et al. . The avaa et al. ,3. Indeeomplexes –8. Whileomplexes .Knock down of Nrf2, in contrast, significantly increased SERPINE1 expression consistent with its implication as a SERPINE1 repressor . The act


Mole . Mole  suggests (et al.  is metho (et al. . In partet al. (et al.et al.et al.The main aim of Bourne et al.  and the et al.et al. (The ‘methodological flaw’ eloquently raised by Mole  relates .et al.  state thet al. (et al. (et al.Thus, while Mole  raises iet al.  did not  (et al.  used the. et al., p. 1527et al. suggest that the evidence given in their 2013 study favours hypotheses of this second type’ – referring to a favouring of cognitive processing over emotional processing for the formation of intrusive memories. We strongly disagree. We wrote that ‘although intense emotional reaction may be a necessary condition for flashback formation it appears not to be sufficient’ in Bourne et al. (Mole  argues tet al.et al.et al.et al.et al.We continue to argue that both cognitive processing and emotional processing are important for intrusive memory formation – that these are not alternative hypotheses. Peri-traumatic emotional processing has long been highlighted as important for the development of PTSD (e.g. American Psychiatric Association, et al.intrusively remembered footage than material that does not intrude (Bourne et al.et al.et al.et al.et al.et al.While we emphasize the importance of understanding how intrusive memories are first encoded, we also acknowledge the significance of processing at later time points. Understanding processing at the time of experimental trauma is essential for understanding the formation of intrusive memories; for example, performing visuospatial tasks while viewing traumatic footage reduces the frequency of later intrusive memories (Bourne et al. (et al.Mole  finisheset al.  in a sep. et al.. Until set al. (We thank Mole  for raiset al. . In sum,


Astrocytes are abundantly populated with TLR3  by infectious agents has been introduced (Zuckerman et al., s et al.  examineds et al.  come to s et al. . Hence, s et al. , and becs et al. . Moreoves et al. . And lass et al. , as wells et al. , in the All authors listed, have made substantial, direct and intellectual contribution to the work, and approved it for publication.The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


Caring for a friend or relative with dementia can be burdensome and stressful, and puts carers at increased risk of physical and psychological problems. A number of psychosocial interventions, some delivered by computer, have been developed to support carers. This review evaluates the outcomes of computer-mediated interventions.PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Plus were searched for papers published between January 2000 and September 2012. Study quality was evaluated using a modified version of Downs and Black's (1998) checklist.Fourteen empirical studies, evaluating a range of complex, multifaceted interventions, met inclusion criteria. The most commonly measured variables were carer burden/stress and depression. In general, higher quality studies found that interventions did have an effect on these variables. Two higher quality studies also found that anxiety was reduced following intervention. Most studies found that positive aspects of caring were increased through these interventions, as was carer self-efficacy. There were mixed results in relation to social support, and physical aspects of caring did not seem to be affected. Program impact measures indicated general acceptability of these interventions.The findings support the provision of computer-mediated interventions for carers of people with dementia. Future studies would benefit from design improvements, such as articulating clearly defined aims, having a control group, having adequate statistical power, and measuring a greater range of factors important to carers themselves. Powell et al.  conducteet al., A more recent French review (Wu et al. (Godwin et al.  conducteComputer-mediated intervention for carers of PwD is a growing area and a wide range of interventions have been developed. In order for future interventions to be maximally effective, and to ensure that service providers are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of different interventions, it is important that the current evidence base be evaluated. The present review therefore aims to address the question: How effective are computer-mediated psychosocial interventions for informal carers of PwD?1.The intervention must be computer mediated. This could include DVDs, CD-ROMs, the internet, or computer programs, but excludes interventions that exclusively use the telephone. The intervention does not need to exclusively be computer mediated, but that must be its main component.2.Interventions must be psychosocial interventions, including therapy, professional, or peer support programs, educational or information programs.3.The carers must be informal, that is, they must not be paid carers such as nursing home staff. However, the PwD can be resident either at home or in an institution.4.Studies must include dementia as the diagnosis of the person being cared for, but do not have to be limited to dementia. All types and all stages of dementia were included.5.Studies must use at least one quantitative measure to assess the outcome of the intervention. These measures do not need to be standardized, and can be questionnaires asking for users’ views of the effects of the intervention. Studies using only questionnaires that consider features of the intervention, such as its convenience, user-friendliness, or accessibility, were excluded.6.Studies can be randomized-controlled trials, pre- and posttest studies with or without a control group, or posttest-only studies with or without a control group. Case studies and qualitative research were excluded.7.Studies must be published in peer reviewed journal articles, in English, from January 2000 to September 2012. The lower limit was chosen because the review focuses on current technologies.The inclusion criteria were:Search terms were organized into four conceptual areas:computer* OR DVD* OR internet* OR network* OR technolog* OR ICT OR online* OR CD-ROM*ANDintervention* OR train* OR therap* OR support* OR treatment*ANDcarer* OR caring * OR caregiv* OR family* OR families* OR parent* OR mother* OR father*ANDdement* OR Alzheimer*Grey literature was not searched. Searches of PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and CINAHL Plus databases generated 262, 708, and 248 papers, respectively. After de-duplication, there were 948 papers of which the titles and abstracts were examined, out of which 31 papers seemed that they might potentially fulfill the inclusion criteria; the full texts of these were then read in full by the first and third authors (see Seventeen of these 31 papers were excluded. Seven were excluded because the intervention was not computer mediated, four because the evaluation of the intervention was limited to anecdotal reports, qualitative interviews, and/or usage or intervention acceptability information, one was a literature review, one was a description of an intervention, one was a research proposal, one was a study of the relative importance of intervention elements such as social support, one was a meta-analysis, and one investigated whether older carers were able to complete standardized questionnaires. There were queries about four papers’ eligibility, and in these instances, the second author was consulted in order to reach consensus.et al., et al., et al. (et al. (This left 14 papers for review. In two instances, two papers reported results from the same study (Glueckauf and Loomis, , et al.  and Glue (et al.  will be et al. (et al. (et al., Reference lists from the included papers, as well as from Powell et al.  and Wu e (et al. , were ex et al., . The refThe quality of studies was evaluated using a modified version of Downs and Black's  checklisThe interventions were varied; many had multiple components. In nine studies, with quality scores ranging from 5 to 20, the intervention was either primarily or entirely delivered as an internet program or resource. One high quality study used a computer-mediated automated interactive voice response intervention; two, of high and medium quality, used a computer–telephone integration system; one of high quality used a DVD program; and one low quality study used computer-, but not internet-, based education. In eight studies, the main part of the intervention was education; three combined education with professional therapy or support; two combined education with more general support; one compared education and professional support with education and more general peer support.et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Their aims tended to be to reduce carer distress and increase competence in caregiving. One aimed to enhance family participation in nursing home care (Rosen et al. (et al., Six papers described interventions that included the ongoing involvement of a professional, six described interventions that did not, with one paper comparing an intervention including a professional with one that did not. Magnusson et al.  was uncl et al., . This iset al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Six studies were randomized controlled trials, one was a controlled trial, four used a single group pretest posttest design, two used a single group posttest-only design, and one used a two group pretest posttest design. Initial sample sizes ranged from 18 (Rosen et al., et al., et al. (et al. (No study provided a power calculation, and several authors noted that their study was likely to be underpowered. Several small studies used mixed-methods designs (e.g., Magnusson , et al.  and Eisd (et al.  describeet al., et al. (et al.'s (Most studies used multiple outcome measures, which is important in order to capture the range of possible impacts on carers. In several, however, multiple measures were used but only certain outcomes were reported, and in some cases, only certain components of measures used were analyzed (e.g., Marziali and Donahue, , et al.  call foret al.'s  intervenStudies used a wide range of carer self-report measures to evaluate interventions, and most used more than one outcome measure. The review of findings of studies is grouped according to outcomes measured, and consequently the same study may be reviewed in more than one section.Eight studies used measures of carer mental health, including measures of depression, anxiety, and general mental health.et al., et al.et al., et al., et al., Seven studies measured depression. All used variants of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D; Radloff, et al. (et al. (et al.'s (Beauchamp et al.  found a  (et al.  found thet al.'s  post-hocet al., et al., et al., et al. (Two high quality studies (Mahoney , et al.  only fouet al., et al. (et al. (et al., One study of Marziali and Garcia  measured, et al.  used the, et al.  and did  (et al.  used two et al.,  in theiret al. (et al., Marziali and Donahue  measuredet al.  measured et al., . Neitheret al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al. (et al. (et al., et al., Nine studies measured carer stress or burden. Four used variants of the Revised Memory and Behaviour Problems Checklist (RMBPC, Teri , et al.  found th, et al.  found th (et al.  found th et al.,  was not et al. (In a high quality study, Gallagher-Thompson et al.  found thet al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Three medium quality studies used measures of social support (Finkel et al. (et al. (Finkel et al.  found thet al.  did not  (et al.  found inet al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Two studies used measures of the positive elements of caregiving (Beauchamp et al., et al., et al., et al., One medium quality study (Glueckauf et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Five studies used items or measures that asked participants how the intervention had changed aspects of caring for them (Magnusson et al. (et al. (Lewis et al.  was one  (et al.  generallet al.'s (In Torp et al.'s  study, aet al. (Rosen et al.  used a 1et al. (Van der Roest et al.  found noet al., Sixteen papers describing 14 studies met inclusion criteria. Interventions were varied and multifaceted, with a range of different outcome measures. These factors make direct comparison of studies difficult, in line with previous reviews of support for carers of PwD (e.g., Wu Having said this, the most commonly measured variables were carer burden/stress and depression. In general, higher quality studies found that interventions did have an effect on these variables. Two high quality studies also found that anxiety was reduced following intervention. Positive aspects of caring may also be increased through these interventions as may through carer self-efficacy. There were mixed results in relation to social support, and physical aspects of caring did not seem to be affected. Program impact measures indicate general acceptability of these interventions.et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., Due to interventions being multicomponent and complex, it is difficult to disentangle the efficacy of individual intervention components, with a large range of factors having potential effects, including the intensity and duration of the intervention, carer characteristics, and outcome selected (Cooke The studies reviewed had a number of limitations: they often had poorly defined aims, many did not have control groups, a number were underpowered and follow-up periods were often short. Future research would benefit from addressing these issues. It is also important that outcome measures be closely linked to the aims of interventions in order that the intervention's effectiveness can be properly evaluated.Computer-mediated intervention for informal carers of PwD is a growing area; these interventions offer a range of potential benefits. This review found that their effectiveness is mixed, but generally positive. This suggests that it would be beneficial to carers, and also to services—in terms of reaching more carers as well as potential cost saving implications—for this medium of intervention to be developed so that more individuals can benefit. As home computer use and mobile devices become increasingly widespread, the viability of computer-mediated interventions increases, and the cost to service providers decreases since increasing numbers of carers already have the requisite hardware. More research is, however, needed in order to ensure that interventions are maximally effective. Research needs to consider the effects of interventions on people of different ethnicities and carer–care recipient relationships, as there is evidence that differential effects exist between groups.Although it was beyond the scope of this review to consider the qualitative components of studies, information gathered from interviews with carers who have used computer-mediated interventions offers an important supplement to quantitative outcome measures. It provides deeper insight into carers’ experiences of using the interventions, and is able to go beyond measurement of symptom reduction and tap into factors, such as feeling supported and less alone, that are of great importance to carers. Future research into computer-mediated interventions for carers of PwD would benefit from a mixed-method approach.NoneVicky McKechnie conducted this literature review as part of her DClinPsy thesis. She located and evaluated the papers in this review, and wrote the first draft of the paper.Joshua Stott was the joint supervisor for Vicky's DClinPsy thesis. He provided supervision throughout the project and he has commented on and edited several drafts of the paper.Chris Barker was the joint supervisor for Vicky's DClinPsy thesis. He provided supervision throughout the project and he has commented on and edited several drafts of the paper.


Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. There is an overlap between the two articles. The 30 patients treated by CAMIR in the Chen et al [Unfortunately, the original version of this article  containeen et al , are incen et al . The arten et al  is a casen et al  is a com


Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of highly aggressive malignant tumors with a poor prognosis. The current diagnosis is based mainly on imaging and intraoperative exploration due to brush cytology havinga low sensitivity and the standard markers, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate 19-9 (CA19-9), not having enough sensitivity nor specificity to be used in a differential diagnosis and early stage detection. Thus, better non-invasive methods that can distinguish between normal and pathological tissue are needed. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, single-stranded non-coding RNA molecules of ~20–22 nucleotides that regulate relevant physiological mechanisms and can also be involved in carcinogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that miRNAs are detectable in multiple body fluids, showing great stability, either free or trapped in circulating microvesicles, such as exosomes. miRNAs are ideal biomarkers that may be used in screening and prognosis in biliary tract cancers, aiding also in the clinical decisions at different stages of cancer treatment. This review highlights the progress in the analysis of circulating miRNAs in serum, plasma and bile as potential diagnostic and prognostic markers of BTCs. Biliary tract cancers (BTCs) are a group of highly aggressive malignant tumors with a poor prognosis; therefore, most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage when the tumor is unresectable or metastatic ,2. In reBiliary tract cancers include intra- and extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), ampullary carcinoma (AC) and gallbladder cancer (GBC) ,26. ManyThe accumulated evidence indicates that the miRNAs are involved in the regulation of cell differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis ,51, as wDuring biogenesis, miRNAs are initially transcribed by RNA polymerase II or III, as a primary transcripts at the nucleus (pri-miRNA) that contains a stem-loop sequences of ~80-nts ,60,61. mmiRNAs induce gene silencing by binding to target mRNAs in complementary sequences (miRNA recognition element) located in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA, using a short sequence of approximately 2–8 nucleotides (the seed region) at the 5′ end of the miRNA, allowing miRNA targeting to have more than one mRNA. This interaction inhibits the translation process and protein synthesis, resulting in a complex regulatory network ,52,77. IThe mature miRNA attached to the RISC complex is the complex effector of gene silencing, which is presented to enable binding by pairing bases to target sites in the RNA. If there is high complementarity between miRNA/mRNA, the mRNA is cleaved by endonuclease Ago2, possibly inclusion bodies and RNA processing (P-bodies) ,84 and, Scientific evidence has shown that miRNAs expression can be controlled by various molecular events, including alterations in genome location, epigenetic changes, transcriptional deregulations and alterations in miRNA biogenesis. Several microRNA genes are located near breakpoint regions, which can present loss of heterozygosity (LOH), amplifications, deletions or mutations ,87,88. Met al. [One of the most remarkable aspects of miRNAs is their high stability outside the intracellular environment; this aspect is of interest, as potential biomarkers of clinical use . The meet al. . Extraceet al. . These iet al. ,110. Theet al.  and evenet al. . Exosomeet al. , exhibitet al. ,114.The molecular structure of an EV is very similar to the parental cell or tissue and may contain other molecules, such as receptors, adhesion molecules, proteins, lipids, growth factors, proteases and exRNAs ,116. Theet al. described the first approach by which miRNAs could be used as biomarkers in cholangiocarcinoma. They found that miR-21 and miR-200b are related to sensitivity/resistance to gemcitabine [et al. [p < 0.05), showing a consistent expression in tissue and blood samples. Moreover, a significant relationship was found between the differential expression of three miRNAs  and lymphatic metastasis/TNM [et al. [Meng citabine . Various [et al.  analyzedasis/TNM . These d [et al. , where e [et al. . In addi [et al. . Further [et al. ,133.et al. [et al. [p < 0.010), sensitivity 80.6% and specificity 58.1%. In addition, the diagnostic value is increased when combined with the carbohydrate antigen 19-9 marker, improving patient screening [et al. [et al. [et al. [p-values in a comparison of BTCs and HVs. In addition, miR-125a-3p was able to detect 32 of 33 patients (97.0%) in the test cohort [et al. [Plieskatt et al.  performeet al. . In addi [et al.  studied creening . miR-150creening  and gastcreening , and is creening  and ostecreening . There a [et al.  demonstr [et al. . In addi [et al. , but thi [et al. . Huang e [et al.  found th [et al. . Kojima  [et al.  studied t cohort . Unfortu [et al.  evaluate [et al. . Accordiet al. [Another study performed by Cheng et al.  found thet al. .et al. [et al. [Bile is a fluid produced by the liver and secreted into the intestine through biliary ducts to help digest fats. It is mainly composed of water, salts from biliary acids, compounds of glycolic and taurocholic acid and bile pigments (bilirubin), as well as proteins, electrolytes, mucus and various metabolites , such aset al.  defined et al. . Similar [et al.  demonstr [et al. .et al. [et al. [versus HVs, whereas miR-483-5p and miR-194 were upregulated in CCA compared to HVs. If we observe what occurs between CCA with PSC, as in the previous study, miR-222 and miR-483-5p were found to be upregulated in CCA versus PSC [et al. [A study conducted by Voigtlander et al.  revealedet al. , of whicet al. . Similar [et al.  also attrsus PSC . Patient [et al.  could noet al. [et al. [Gallstones are an important risk factor associated with GBC, being present in most (~85%) patients . The expet al.  evaluateet al. . The miRet al.  and contet al. . Additioet al. , and theet al. . However [et al. , all patRelated studies on the synthesis of cholesterol and human gallstones have shown that the FXR/SHP pathway regulates the miR-34a expression and its target SIRT1, which is associated with gallstones because it participates in lipid metabolism and hepatic bile acid synthesis . The faret al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [The diagnosis of BTCs is mainly based on imaging, laparoscopic cholecystectomies and intraoperative exploration performed for cholelithiasis . The exaet al.  in 2008 et al. . The rolet al. , miR-135et al. ,183, miRet al. , miR-335et al. , miR-130et al.  and miR-et al. , and othet al. , miR-20aet al.  and miR-et al. . In addiet al. , miR-34aet al.  and miR-et al. ) also exet al. ,131. Furet al. . Selaru  [et al.  determin [et al. . Similar [et al.  identifi [et al. . Further [et al. . These u [et al. , found t [et al.  demonstr [et al.  demonstr [et al. . This ma [et al. , where t [et al. . This su [et al. ; therefo [et al. , who hyp [et al. .In contrast, miR-192 levels were significantly higher in the serum and tissues of CCA patients; however, no significant difference was found in tissues ; miR-224et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [miR-21 has been characterized as playing an important role in BTCs ,132, andet al.  and Chen [et al. , plasma  [et al. . The det [et al. , esophag [et al. , prostat [et al. , head an [et al. , gastric [et al. , lung ca [et al. , lymphom [et al.  and colo [et al. . Therefo [et al.  defined  [et al.  demonstr [et al.  showed t [et al.  showed t [et al.  showed tet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. 400 μL of bile [In this manuscript, distinct expression patterns of circulating miRNAs have been observed, including some inconsistencies in the results. It is likely that the inconsistency in some data reported in the literature is due to ethnic variations . Li et aet al.  delineatet al. , multipl [et al.  and Que  [et al.  studied  [et al.  and isol [et al. . Meanwhi [et al.  included [et al.  included [et al. , the his [et al.  establis [et al.  extracte [et al.  used 200 [et al.  used app of bile .In the context of cancer biology, as with other malignancies, BTCs exhibit an aberrant expression of miRNAs with a marked difference according to the stage and carcinogenic model.


Cells on receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) is a timely and unique assemblage of scholarly insights into topics that have relatively recently entered the spotlight in relation to this class of molecules. The review by Julien et al. [et al. [This Special Issue of n et al.  is an ov [et al.  focuses et al. [et al. [Although RTKs feature highly in cell proliferative and infiltrative diseases, such as cancer, it may be easy to forget that the presence and activity of RTKs is crucial to normal roles in cell and tissue development and homeostasis. The review by Brix et al.  highligh [et al. . In thiset al. [et al. [The paradigm of ligand-induced receptor dimerisation as a model for RTK signalling initiation becomes less rigid when reading the review by Maruyama . In it, et al.  reports  [et al. . Here, tet al. [A further distinct sub-realm of cellular signalling is represented by the article by Goltsov et al. , who car


The two review articles published focused on the transition element Mo. Glass et al.  reviewedy et al.  exploresy et al.  hypothesy et al.  is a stey et al.  recognizy et al.  and Bonny et al.  establisy et al. , those ty et al.  and Bonny et al.  found sih et al. . The auth et al.  concludeh et al. . In summThe authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


In a recent study, Potvin et al.  used a mPotvin et al.  found anIt should be noted, however, that while SES was shown by Shah et al.  to be coThe Potvin et al.  results N = 218), unaffected first degree subjects (N = 438), and healthy non-relatives volunteers (N = 123), which in agreement to a cross-sectional study conducted by Torniainen et al. , such as chlorpromazine and haloperidol, are more likely than second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), such as Clozapine and Olanzapine, to produce EPS (Leucht et al., As such, the results of Potvin et al.  may be aThe authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.


If true, then Steller's sea cows were hunted to extinction in multiple places at different times in the past millennium [et al. [Crerar et al.  recentlyllennium . We wish [et al.  used to 2.et al. [H. gigas. For the initial identification of the rib bone fragments, the authors point to comparisons with more complete material at the Smithsonian Institution, and credit C. W. Potter, the collections manager, with confirming the identity. While fragmentary material is difficult to identify, the authors' line of reasoning is an argument made from authority, rather than demonstrated by evidence. The authors could have relied on diagnosable morphological traits, for example via histological section [et al. [Crerar et al.  reported section . Althoug [et al.  confirme3.et al. [et al. [et al. [Spinosaurus, a large Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from North Africa. Ibrahim et al. [et al. [Spinosaurus-bearing locality. In this case, serendipity and diligent detective work resulted in clear geographical and stratigraphic provenance, and a wealth of additional material. By contrast, Crerar et al. [et al. [The samples that Crerar et al.  reported [et al.  provide  [et al.  used assm et al.  initiall [et al.  led to tr et al.  did not  [et al.  acquiredet al. [H. gigas specimens are vouchered, either unidentified or misidentified, in existing collections from SLI midden sites with multiple layers [et al. [H. gigas on SLI.We wish to emphasize that the discovery of historical Steller's sea cow material from SLI, about 1500 km away from the only other known historical remains of this extinct species , is impo


Dear Editor,I read with interest the case by Ulucay et al.  regardin


We read the research of Scaramuzza et al. , with gr


The present study was carried out to compare the associated role of micro minerals and hormones in repeat breeding animals with the normal crossbred cows.Blood samples were collected from 10 normal cycling and 10 repeat breeding crossbred cows of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narendrapur to study the plasma mineral profile and hormonal activities.Zn was found to be highly significant (p<0.01) between the two groups. Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and progesterone showed significant (p<0.05) difference in repeat breeding animal from the normal cyclic animal, whereas no significant differences were observed in Ca, P, Cu, Se, Co, luteinizing hormone and estradiol level.It may conclude that repeat breeding condition of crossbred cows in farm condition is mainly due to the low level of progesterone, FSH and zinc. India is in possession of about 199 million cattle of which 33.06 million was estimated as crossbred . Longer The breeding efficiency of dairy cows is lowered by a number of reproductive disorders like endometritis, anestrus and repeat breeding resulting in great economic losses to the dairy farmers . Repeat Normal levels of various biochemical constituents are indispensable for normal function of various systems of the body including the reproductive system. Changes in these constituents have been blamed for reproductive failures. No study has yet been conducted on increasing repeat breeding problems in dairy herds of South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, which is characterized by varying degree of mineral-deficient soils .Therefore the present study was undertaken to investigate the plasma profile of certain minerals and hormones in cycling and repeat breeding cows, so as to compare and define the probable biochemical etiological factors involved in the infertility problem of the farm managed crossbred cow of this area.The study was approved by the University Animal Ethics Committee constituted for research purpose.A total of twenty adult clinically free of disease crossbred  cows were randomly selected for the present study. The cows were maintained at dairy farm of Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narendrapur, Kolkata. These experimental animals were kept under uniform feeding and managerial condition, and fed with ad libitum green grass/fodder with free access to water. The cows were categorized into two groups: The first group bred and conceived normally after no more than three inseminations. The second group was those animals that did not conceive after three or more inseminations, but had clear vaginal mucous discharge at estrus. The study was approved by the University Ethics Committee constituted for research purpose.g for 20 min) and collected in a sterile vial and preserved at −20°C until analysis. The blood samples from the cows were collected only after 12 h of the onset of estrous.Blood was collected in sterilized vacutainer with anticoagulant from the jugular vein of each animal. The plasma was separated by centrifugation  according to the methods described by Bagainski , Fiske aet al. . Plasma The experimental data were analyzed using Student’s t-test  for deteet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Results of the experiment have been presented in et al. . The non [et al. . Ahmed e [et al.  also rep [et al.  revealed [et al. . As a reet al. 2014 [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Non-significant (p>0.05) variations of plasma calcium level were observed between cyclic and repeat breeder cow. Akhtar al. 2014  pointed al. 2014 , Ramakrial. 2014 , Kumar e [et al.  and Chau [et al. . A non-s [et al.  which co [et al. . Non-sig [et al. . In cont [et al. , Modi et [et al. , Akhtar  [et al.  reported [et al.  the conc [et al.  found se [et al.  observed [et al. . Non-sig [et al.  between  [et al.  reported [et al. . There w [et al. . Hidirog [et al.  reportedThe results presented above can provide supportive evidence about the importance of hormones and minerals in the resumption of repeat breeding condition. The results demonstrated that the incidence of repeat breeding case of crossbred cows in the farm condition was associated with a significantly low level of some hormones like FSH and progesterone. Among the minerals, zinc was found to play the most vital role to cause repeat breeding condition in the farm animals. Lower level of LH and selenium are equally modulators of repeat breeding case in farm animal. The relationship between the changes in hormonal profile and mineral profile of plasma support the alterations in ovarian function which may be the cause of repeat breeding in crossbred cows.AB carried out research work under the guidance of SB. SG helped in collection of sample and performed statistical analysis. AB drafted and revised the manuscript under the guidance of DS and SC. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.


Plasmodium spp. and Toxoplasma gondii are important human and veterinary pathogens. These parasites possess an unusual double membrane structure located directly below the plasma membrane named the inner membrane complex (IMC). First identified in early electron micrograph studies, huge advances in genetic manipulation of the Apicomplexa have allowed the visualization of a dynamic, highly structured cellular compartment with important roles in maintaining the structure and motility of these parasites. This review summarizes recent advances in the field and highlights the changes the IMC undergoes during the complex life cycles of the Apicomplexa. These changes are associated with significant alterations in structure and function of the IMC.During its complex life cycle, et al., et al., et al., et al., Plasmodium sporozoites transform into spherical trophozoites by initially bulging in the centre, followed by the retraction of the apical and basal ends  and novel (PF3D7_0525800) markers of the IMC  was shown to lead to a number of defects, including a lack of microneme and rhoptry formation and a block in IMC biogenesis  and ELC1 and the glideosome‐associated proteins GAP40, GAP45 and GAP50 (Herm‐Gotz et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., One of the important roles of the IMC is to act as an anchor for the actin‐myosin motor complex which has an important role in parasite motility and invasion (Dobrowolski and Sibley, et al., et al., Toxoplasma and Plasmodium, GAP45 is phosphorylated by calcium‐dependent kinases (Gilk et al., et al., et al., et al., T. gondii, but not Plasmodium, GAP45 must then be dephosphorylated before the assembly of the motor complex (Gaskins et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., P. berghei (Sebastian et al., During cell division, MyoA, MLC1/MTIP and GAP45 are translated and form a complex in the cytoplasm (Gaskins et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., et al., GAP50 is a transmembrane protein inserted directly into the alveolar membrane (Gaskins T. gondii (Agop‐Nersesian et al., T. gondii or Plasmodium (Sebastian et al., et al., et al., et al., Plasmodium (Sebastian et al., Interestingly, disruption of IMC biogenesis can be demonstrated when the tail of the actin‐myosin motor protein TgMyoA is overexpressed in Plasmodium and T. gondii, the functions of individual proteins are now adding to the early observational studies and allowing a much clearer understanding of the functions of this structure. Future studies will continue efforts to dissect the role of individual proteins in the construction and maintenance of the IMC.In summary, the IMC is a fascinating, dynamic structure with known roles in parasite structure, division, morphogenesis and motility. By using the now well‐established genetic tools in


Although there are a limited number of quality studies, appropriate peri-operative management of serum electrolytes seems to reduce adverse outcomes in liver transplantation. Hyponatremia is defined as the presence of serum concentration of sodium equal ≤130 mmol/L and it is detected in approximately 20% of patients with end stage liver disease waiting for a liver transplant (LT). This paper will focus on the pathogenesis of dilutional hyponatremia and its significance in terms of both candidacy for LT and post-operative outcomes. A variety of factors can contribute to the development of hyponatremia in patients with end stage liver disease . Its mecRecent studies have shown that increased intestinal bacterial translocation combined with portosystemic shunting leads to endotoxemia and increased production of endothelial nitric oxide causing systemic and splanchnic vasodilation . SystemiIn 1956, Dame Sheila Sherlock observed that “In patients with liver disease, serum-Na levels below 130 mEq/L must be regarded as serious, and if below 125 mEq/L ominuous” .et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [vs. 9%). In addition, these authors found that the subgroup with serum sodium ≤125 mEq/L had the highest risk of death (48%).In a large international cooperative survey of cirrhotic patients, Angeli et al.  found th [et al.  found th [et al.  reported [et al.  showed ti.e., central nervous system, circulatory system).The negative impact of hyponatremia is well known but it is not very clear whether this is due to the fact that it might be a marker of the stage of the disease or if that is due to the negative effects of low serum sodium levels on the function of several organs (The Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) is a scoring system used to measure the severity of chronic liver disease . PatientIt was initially developed for prediction of mortality in patients who had undergone a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) procedure . It was et al. [et al. [The MELD score is not a perfect model and many investigators have worked on improving its accuracy ,13,14. Oet al.  reported [et al.  supporteDespite these findings, serum sodium concentration may decrease with fluid overload and with the use of diuretics and therefore it might be manipulated causing some advantage for selected patients waiting for a LT . Hence, Determination of the patient’s volume status is the first step in the management of patients affected by hyponatremia . As illuTo date , the maii.e., conivaptan, tolvaptan, lixivaptan) is showing promising results [A new class of pharmacological agents, the “vaptans” . Similar results were reported by Boin et al. [et al. [et al. [Londono et al.  evaluaten et al.  who anal [et al.  and Cywi [et al.  found thet al. [et al. [In a large multicentric study of 5150 LTs by Dawwas et al. , serum s [et al.  reportedet al. [Fukuhara et al.  evaluateIt is known that dilutional hyponatremia in the setting of cirrhosis develops quite slowly ,22. The et al. [et al. [et al. [CPM is the most severe neurologic disorder described in hyponatremic patients . Lee et et al.  reviewed [et al.  and Daww [et al.  suggesteet al. [Yun et al.  showed tet al. [An alternative hypothesis proposed by Hackworth et al.  regardinToday, it is generally agreed that preventing and correcting severe hyponatremia is an important aspect of the pretransplant management of cirrhotic patients as it decreases their mortality risk while waiting for LT. However, the extent to which hyponatremia should be corrected to prevent post- transplant adverse events remains open to speculations as the results of current studies are conflicting.


In the publication of this article Elwood et al. , the mid


Since [et al. ,9 . Import [et al. ,12, and et al. [To conclude, in the study by Kampis et al.  and otheet al. –4 it is et al. –9. Howev


The findings of Schorr et al.  involve We have concerns about the conclusions of Schorr et al.  regardinSchorr et al.  discuss Schorr et al.  also higWhile Schorr et al.  accurateSchorr et al.  suggest et al. [We believe the use of short-term, multi-sensor archival tags with exposures controlled in an experimental design, including the use of sonars on actual naval vessels as has recently begun, represent an important complement to the use of long-term tags with opportunistic Navy sources that Schorr et al.  report.


Changes in sleep and cognition occur with advancing age. While both may occur independently of each other, it is possible that alterations in sleep parameters may increase the risk of age-related cognitive changes. This review aimed to understand the relationship between sleep parameters  and cognition in community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older without sleep disorders. Systematic, computer-aided searches were conducted using multiple sleep and cognition-related search terms in PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Twenty-nine manuscripts met the inclusion criteria. Results suggest an inconsistent relationship between sleep parameters and cognition in older adults and modifiers such as depressive symptoms, undiagnosed sleep apnea and other medical conditions may influence their association. Measures of sleep and cognition were heterogeneous. Future studies should aim to further clarify the association between sleep parameters and cognitive domains by simultaneously using both objective and subjective measures of sleep parameters. Identifying which sleep parameters to target may lead to the development of novel targets for interventions and reduce the risk of cognitive changes with aging. Alterations in sleep and cognition are associated with advancing age ,2,3. AppThe objective for this exploratory review of sleep parameters and cognition in community-dwelling adults 60 years and older was to understand the relationships between sleep parameters , and the domains of cognition  and global cognition.Systematic, computer-aided searches were conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL with the following terms: “cognitive”, “cognition”, “older”, “sleep”, “attention”, “episodic memory”, “executive function”, “processing speed”, “verbal fluency”, and “working memory”. No limits were applied. Reference lists of original and review articles were examined to identify additional relevant publications. To qualify for inclusion in the review, the studies had to include participants who had a mean age of 60 years or older, with no complaints of insomnia, sleep disorders, or cognitive impairment at baseline, and were living independently in the community. The articles also had to report outcome measures of cognition and/or cognitive impairment, have predictor variables of subjective or objective sleep parameters, report original quantitative analyses, and be published in a peer-reviewed journal.et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [After removing 3053 duplicates, 735 articles were screened for relevance See . Titles et al.  and Blac [et al.  used dat [et al.  and Twor [et al.  used datet al. [et al. [Investigator-developed questionnaires, or proxy measures of sleep, were used to subjectively measure sleep in the majority of the studies. Also, each of these measures evaluated the sleep parameters using different questions. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)  was anotet al.  and Lamb [et al.  used a sThere was also a large variety of tests and instruments that were used to assess the domains of cognition and global cognition See . The MinIn order to understand the relationship between sleep and cognition, each parameter of sleep and its association with cognition will be discussed in the following section see .et al. [et al. [et al. [Sleep latency is the amount of time  it takes a person to fall asleep, starting from the first intention to fall asleep. The studies with sleep latency and cognition in older adults have reported mixed results. The results suggest a greater link between sleep latency and global cognition than sleep latency and the particular domains of cognition. Schmutte, et al.  reportedet al. ,19, atteet al. ,19, episet al. ,17,18, wet al. , verbal et al. ,22, whilet al. ,24,25 re [et al.  reported [et al.  did not et al. [Wake after sleep onset is total amount of time awake during the night, from the time the person falls asleep until final awakening. There is potential evidence to support the relationship between longer wake after sleep onset and worse domain-specific and global cognition. In two gender-specific studies using actigraphy, wake after sleep onset was associated with worse global cognitive function in both men and women after adjustment for depression and multiple demographic, physical, and health factors ,13. Longet al.  reportedet al. ,13,26, aet al. ,13, episet al. ,13. In oet al. , workinget al. ,26 and pet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Sleep efficiency is the ratio of the time a person is sleeping to the time that is actually spent in bed trying to sleep. The studies with sleep efficiency and cognition suggest that there is a relationship between subjective and objective measured sleep efficiency and global cognition. When looking at the domains of cognition, there appears to be a relationship between the domains and objectively assessed sleep but not subjectively assessed sleep. Using the PSQI, Chang-Quan, et al.  and Nebe [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al.  they fou [et al.  there waet al. [et al. [As objective sleep efficiency decreased, executive function ,13,16, aet al.  used mul [et al. ,13 each et al. [et al. [et al. [In some of the studies, sleep duration was examined as a continuous variable while in other studies sleep duration was dichotomized into short and long sleep duration. When sleep was examined as a continuous variable, there was no relationship between sleep duration and the domains of and global cognition. However, a U-shaped relationship appeared to emerge when sleep duration was dichotomized and results suggest a relationship between short and long sleep and domains of cognition and global cognition. In a study with older women, Lambiase, et al.  reported [et al.  had simi [et al.  also fou [et al. ,19,27, a [et al. ,19, epis [et al. ,19, work [et al. ,19, proc [et al. ,19,27 an [et al. ,19.et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [In terms of subjective short sleep duration and global cognition, Potvin, et al.  had mixe [et al.  reported [et al.  had simi [et al.  found th [et al.  had cont [et al.  found no [et al. , Devore, [et al. , and Xu, [et al.  reported [et al. , Ohayon  [et al. , Ramos,  [et al. , Faubel, [et al.  and McCr [et al.  had contet al. [et al. [When looking at the domains of cognition, subjective short sleep duration was associated with attention , episodiet al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al. ,20,26. Tet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Potvin, et al.  found th [et al.  found th [et al.  reported [et al. , Blackwe [et al. , Auyeung [et al. , Faubel, [et al. , and Xu, [et al.  reported [et al. , Keage,  [et al. , Ohayon  [et al.  and Loer [et al.  reportedet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [There are mixed findings in the relationship between general sleep problems and domains of cognition and global cognition but imply a possible link between increased sleep problems and reduced cognition. In the study by Potvin, et al. , the sle [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al.  revealed [et al. , Sampaio [et al. , Virta,  [et al.  and Chan [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al. , Keage,  [et al. , Jaussen [et al. , Foley,  [et al. , Gamaldo [et al.  and Zimm [et al.  reportedet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [There are conflucting results for general sleep problems and each of domains of cognition. Saint Martin, et al. , Nebes,  [et al. , Gamaldo [et al. , Sutter, [et al.  and McCr [et al.  all repo [et al. , Nebes,  [et al. , Sutter, [et al.  and McCr [et al.  in addit [et al. , Blackwe [et al. , Miyata, [et al.  and Twor [et al.  reportedThe aim of the review was to understand the relationship between sleep parameters and the domains of cognition and global cognition in adults 60 years and older. In this population, the research on the association of subjective sleep parameters and cognition is mixed; as a result, more studies, particularly longitudinal studies, are needed that further explores the relationship among these variables. Interestingly, sleep duration, a sleep variable most consistently related to disease states such as cardiovascular disease ,45, was et al. [A majority of the studies used available data as partial measures of sleep, as many of these studies were secondary analyses. These measures often were not validated or demonstrated to be reliable and thus cannot be readily compared against other valid and reliable measures of sleep. Even in studies with good measures of sleep, the measure primarily reflected an overarching score of sleep. For instance, the PSQI assesses sleep with a single score reflecting overall sleep in the last month. In addition, sleep parameters were assessed differently by different questionnaires. For example, sleep latency was assessed by asking the participants to indicate the number of minutes taken to fall asleep or by asking if they usually took long to fall asleep. There was also a lack of standardization of the cut-off times for some of the sleep variables such as sleep latency and sleep duration. For example, Ohayon and Vecchierini  used shoet al.  defined Objective sleep measures are necessary, but have their own strengths and weakness. For example, actigraphy provides a plethora of activity data over longer periods of time but is often not sensitive to time spent awake lying still and does not measure sleep stage ; whereasSleep architecture parameters specific to rapid eye movement (REM) and non-rapid eye movement (nREM) sleep were not examined in this review. Since older adults report increase in sleep fragmentation and more time in lighter sleep stages , it is pet al. [The inconsistency of measurement of cognition and sleep also limits the ability to identify relationships across the reviewed studies. First, there was variation across the studies in the assessment measures for sleep and cognitive function. Although the measures used for cognitive function in the majority of studies were valid and reliable, the same measure was not consistently used by the researchers to examine global or domains of cognition. For example, Trail Making B, Stroop Color and Word test, Oral Word Fluency test, Porteus Maze, and Optimal Telegram were all used to assess executive function. As pointed out by Snowden, et al. , it woulet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Additionally, there are important covariates that must be accounted for in studying the relationship between sleep parameters and cognition. Depression is a common cause of sleep problems in older adults and associated with neurocognitive impairments such as slower processing speed and executive dysfunction . Aloia, et al. , Steffen [et al.  and Zimm [et al.  have als [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al.  reported [et al.  pointed Another alternative explanation is that study participants with undiagnosed sleep apnea may have contributed to the inconsistency in the association between sleep parameters and cognitive function. Most studies in the review did not screen for or ask about a sleep apnea diagnosis or had sleep apnea as a confounder, so did not account for the possible confounding effect of the presence of sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is associated with worse verbal fluency and constructional tasks  and withet al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [Both age and poorer health appear to play a role in the relationship between sleep and cognition. Blackwell, et al. , Chang-Q [et al.  and Lim, [et al.  all repo [et al.  reported [et al.  also rep [et al.  reportedThe current research on the association of subjective sleep parameters and cognition is inconclusive and there is insufficient evidence to confirm or deny the existence of a relationship between objective sleep parameters and cognition. Primary studies using valid and reliable measures for all sleep and cognitive variables are clearly needed; it would be very useful if similar measures were used across studies. Future research should also account for important covariates such as depression, obstructive sleep apnea, age and chronic medical illness. Healthcare providers should be aware that sleep disturbances can be associated with cognition in older adults and that medical and psychiatric conditions can influence the association. With this knowledge, providers should perform baseline and periodic ongoing assessments to identify changes in sleep patterns, cognition, and the risk factors that can influence the association between sleep and cognition.


To the Editoret al. [Journal, about capture myopathy (CM) and its clinical implications for human Takotsubo syndrome (TTS), which reminded me of the seminal work done by Ueyama et al.. [I read with great interest the study by Blumstein et al. , publish et al..  with the et al.. . The aut et al.. . Since t et al.. . Patient et al.. . The aut et al.. , althoug et al.. . Since wConflict of interest: None declared.


Alcohol consumption causes damage to various organs and systems. Liver is a primary target for the detrimental effects of alcohol since this substance of abuse is mainly metabolized by liver cells, which express high levels of two major alcohol oxidizing enzymes, alcohol dehydrogenase and CYP2E1. However, other organs, including brain, gut, pancreas, lungs and the immune system are also affected by alcohol. Alcohol may also serve to intensify the progression of viral infections, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Common mechanisms of alcohol-related organ injury include increases in oxidative stress, methylation impairments, aberrant posttranslational modifications of proteins, dysregulation in lipid metabolism and signal transduction pathways, all of which ultimately affect cell survival and function.The Special Issue on “Multi-Organ Alcohol-Related Damage: Mechanisms and Treatment” presents 17 review and 9 original articles which cover diverse topics related to the pathogenesis of organ dysfunction by alcohol exposure. Here, we provide a short summary of all the articles published in this Special Issue.common mechanisms of multi-organ alcohol-induced organ damage. In this regard, the paper by Natarajan et al. [et al. [Several articles address n et al.  discussen et al.  focusses [et al.  discusse [et al.  presentset al. [et al. [Since liver is a primary site of ethanol metabolism and liver cells are susceptible to alcohol-induced damage, several articles in this special issue are on the effects of alcohol in promoting liver injury. Among them is the study by Shukla et al.  that foc [et al.  that pro [et al.  hypothes [et al.  presents [et al.  presentset al.’s review article [et al. [et al. [2O2). Employing glutathione peroxidase-1 (gpx-1−/−) and catalase  knockout mice, the authors conclude that H2O2 inhibits hepcidin expression in vivo and that synergistic induction of CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) by alcohol and H2O2, in the absence of gpx-1, stimulates liver hepcidin gene expression by endoplasmic reticulum stress independent of CREBH. The review “Update on Alcoholic Hepatitis” by Torok [et al. [et al. [et al. [Udoh  article  on the r [et al.  devoted  [et al.  elucidat [et al.  addresse [et al.  investigby Torok  presents [et al.  demonstr [et al.  highligh [et al.  discussegut dysfunctions and the pathogenesis of liver injury. Patel et al. [et al. [Several studies/reviews present an association between the ethanol-induced l et al.  review t [et al.  discusseet al. [The study by Zhong et al.  illustralung damage. One article by Sapkota and Wyatt [et al. [Two articles reveal the mechanism of alcohol-induced nd Wyatt  presents [et al.  follows heart function. The article “Alcohol and Apoptosis: Friends or Foes?” by Rodriguez et al. [in vivo effects of alcohol exposure on cardiomyocytes contraction and relaxation. The authors demonstrate that the animals on high doses of alcohol display a marked thinning of the left ventricular wall along with elevated caspase-3 activity and decreased contractility. In contrast, low alcohol is associated with increased contractility and decreased apoptosis suggesting that overall protective mechanisms are induced by low levels of alcohol exposure.Alcohol is also shown to affect z et al.  is devotet al. [Brand et al.  contribuneurotoxic effects of alcohol. To this end, Yang and Luo [Only one study was related to  and Luo  review tOverall, this Special Issue on “Multi-Organ Alcohol-Related Damage: Mechanisms and Treatment” covers important aspects on alcohol-induced organ damage and provides comprehensive information on the mechanisms underlying these events. The published articles are recommended for scientists and physicians involved in basic, translational and/or clinical studies on alcohol-induced injury to cells, tissues and multiple organs.The list of articles published in Special Issue “Multi-Organ Alcohol-Related Damage: Mechanisms and Treatment” is presented in Refs. ,24,25,26


Acta Cryst. (2015), E71, o455–o456.Corrigendum to  et al.  is corrected.The address of one of the authors in the paper by Subhadramma


This Special Issue aimed to collect studies based on clinical applications of metabolomics in human disease. Patient care is currently switching from the reductionist approach to one of precision medicine that is characterized by the collection of individual longitudinal clinical data and the use of multi-omics profiling and tailored therapeutic protocols. Diseases are no longer seen as the sum of structural and functional multiorgan damage and complications; rather, they are evaluated with regard to their full spectrum of associated phenotypic abnormalities caused by multiple factors, such as genetic and epigenetic changes, the pathogenesis of the disease, the host immune response, the gut microbiota, the microenvironment, and both the beneficial and adverse effects of any therapeutic interventions used. In this context, metabolomics plays a strategic role in depicting the individual molecular phenotype and discovering insights into cellular metabolic processes. Recently, metabolomics has moved far beyond the status of an emerging field within the “omics” sciences; actually, hundreds of research studies have utilized metabolomics to evaluate the metabolic profile of biological fluids and tissues, decipher alterations in metabolic pathways due to disease or specific physiological conditions , and measure the concentration of metabolites. A recent, elegant expression sounds as “metabolomics is the stethoscope of the 21st century” . All theMetabolites is to promote the transition of metabolomics from research to the clinical setting with the contribution of original data and data obtained from a literature review. Beyond concerns on harmonization between metabolomics-based studies, the review of Aderemi et al. [The aim of this Special Issue of i et al.  reportedi et al. . In parti et al. . These gi et al. . Notablyi et al. . Before i et al. . In an ai et al. . Furtheri et al. . The skii et al. . In Parki et al. . In excli et al. . Recentli et al. . In thisi et al. . The mosi et al. . Interes


IUCrData (2020), 5, x200445.Corrigendum to  et al. , there was an error in the name of the title compound.In the paper by Feightner


Since clinical approval of the first liposomal formulation encapsulating a chemotherapeutic agent, nanoscale delivery systems have been a rapidly developing science. This Special Issue highlights the current advances and challenges in the broad theme of nanosystem development for the delivery of molecules to treat and/or diagnose tumors. A series of 10 original articles and 4 review articles written by researchers working in 11 countries were published. These publications provide the reader with a broad overview of some of the key strategies for nanocarrier design. These strategies are brought together by the wide compositional variety of these systems and the diversity of molecules that may be carried for functionalization strategies, codelivery, and combination with other treatment modalities.Pinto et al.  reportedBolaños et al.  preparedLópez-Barrera et al.  developeHuang et al.  designedVindigni et al.  designedYang et al.  exploredKrivitsky et al.  developeCho et al.  preparedCohen et al.  developeLee et al.  formulatSizikov et al.  reviewedYang et al.  providedOn the other hand, the use of nanocarrier-assisted delivery in combination with PDT was the focus of the review article by Carobeli et al. . Based oFinally, Gomes and Franco  reviewedOverall, the articles in this Special Issue highlight a very active field, and we expect to see an increasing number of nanocarriers reaching cancer clinical trials.


The Special Issue “Signal Processing and Machine Learning for Smart Sensing Applications” focused on the publication of advanced signal processing methods by means of state-of-the-art machine learning technologies for smart sensing applications. It targeted research areas that included radio navigation, indoor/outdoor positioning, mm-wave sensing, speech denoising, and noise cancellation, among many others. A secondary objective was to promote interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers in the fields of signal processing and machine learning technologies for smart sensing applications.A total of 17 works were published within this Special Issue, where we can find works that are dealing with the more cutting-edge solutions for audio filtering for speech enhancement, identification and mitigation of some types of jamming, electroencephalogram processing for sleep-arousal detection, localization using magnetic field information, processing direction-of-arrival, detection of defects, fall detection, tracing healthcare data in real-time, as well as learn how signals propagate under non-line-of-sight conditions. The main contributions are briefly described in the remainder of this editorial.Zhou et al.  proposedQin et al.  introducLan et al.  proposedZhao et al.  a more sChien et al.  proposedKaneko et al.  introducLiu et al.  developeSasaki  presenteTian et al.  proposedBačnar et al.  elaboratMei et al.  studied Lin et al.  proposedMao et al.  studied Hsu et al.  proposedTuan et al.  developeXiao et al.  studied Wang et al.  proposed


We thank De Roux et al. for their interest and comments on our review of in-hospital cardiac arrest . We agre


In the article by Bischofberger et al. , the wro


Acta Cryst. (2014), E70, o72.Corrigendum to  et al. , there is an error in the order of the authors.In the paper by Chang


Anguilla anguilla) and demonstrated that some individuals return from the sea to the river of origin. The authors argue that eels make a ‘false start’, which they interpret as ‘sophisticated strategy’ and ‘important addition to the description of the plastic behaviour of eel’ )et al.  also in et al. ,8. Howev [et al.  did not s et al.  did not s et al. ,10. In as et al. , Tambetso likely , especiao likely . Therefoet al. [et al. [Tambets et al.  also claet al. . The matet al. ), navigaet al.  and silvet al. . As Tamb [et al.  did not et al. [et al. [ca 250 km and the release location was ca 200 m from the turbine intake canal, thereby it is likely that many eels just descended with the flow, while being disoriented in the new environment. Furthermore, only eels that reached the sea were included to the study presented by Tambets et al. [Tambets et al.  used Duret al.  to deteret al. . Because [et al.  in theirs et al. . The oris et al. .et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [In conclusion, the entire interpretive framework of Tambets et al.  rests on [et al.  study ar [et al.  is that  [et al. . This is [et al. . We ackn [et al.  also briet al. [However, if silver eel do return to the river origin, instead of the ‘false start’ hypothesis, this behaviour could more precisely represent ‘farewell visits’ (a term coined by Jessop et al. , which iet al. , may retet al. . However


Advances in High-Performance Non-ferrous Materials”, collected the latest development in fab-ricating the high-performance non-ferrous materials. Specifically, the coupled effects of alloying, microstructures, and processing on the mechanical properties of the representative non-ferrous alloys and related composites were elucidated in this SI. A few new processing technologies were also introduced that are superior in terms of the material strengthening, fracture toughness, me-chanical properties, magnetic properties, and wear resistance. Many of these efforts depend on the application of different new technologies such as irradiation, cryogenic rolling, wet chemical techniques, induction sintering, liquid/solid casting, heat treatments, electromagnetic hot forming, and five-axis flank milling.Non-ferrous metallic materials are considered to be fundamental materials for manufacturing in-dustries, i.e., they are used in aerospace, marine, vehicle, communications, construction, and even microelectromechanical systems. In order to obtain high-quality non-ferrous materials and/or components, we must fully understand the underlying process–structure–property relationship in the metallic materials such as Al alloys, Mg alloys, Ti alloys, Cu alloys, and etc. This Special Issue (SI), “2Si). Using electron backscatter diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, Li et al. [2O3 composite that was prepared via induction sintering and rolling processes. Shuai et al.’s work revealed the alloying elements’  effects on the microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Al–Si–Cu alloys [5FeSi intermetallics. Huang et al. [B(Al7Cu4Li) and S(Al2CuMg) phases of the 2195 Al–Cu–Li alloy at different homogenization temperatures.Yang et al.  investigi et al.  studied i et al.  unraveleu alloys . The addg et al.  elucidat2 particle size on the microstructure, synthesis mechanism, and refining performance of an Al–Ti–C Alloy. Yu et al. [50-xCoxMn35.5In14.5 annealed ribbons was studied by Dubiel et al. [in situ VCp reinforced iron-based composite. Wang et al. [Mao et al.  and Gao u et al.  exploredu et al. . The effl et al. . Du et al et al.  proposedl et al.  performeg et al.  conducteg et al.  revealedg et al.  reviewedg et al. . All the


Acta Cryst. (2018), E74, 926–930.Corrigendum to  et al. , there is an error in the name of the first author.In the paper by Zemamouche


Neuroimaging experiments in general, and EEG experiments in particular, must take care to avoid confounds. A recent TPAMI paper uses data that suffers from a serious previously reported confound. We demonstrate that their new model and analysis methods do not remedy this confound, and therefore that their claims of high accuracy and neuroscience relevance are invalid. We note that prior work  has alreet al.   6] as cl3et al.   8] as weNote that accuracy drops to chance for all classifiers. The remaining tables report analyses done with our own collected data . First, et al. [et al. [Palazzo et al. , Table 2et al. , EEGNet,Accuracy drops to chance for all classifiers. We next report analyses performed on data collected with randomized trials both withet al. [These report analyses between different runs with different stimulus presentation order. Note that classification accuracy with all classifiers is at chance. These results demonstrate that there is a confound not only between training and test samples collected in close temporal proximity within the same block, there also is a second confound between samples collected in different runs but with the same temporal offset from the beginning of the run. Collectively these results demonstrate that EEGNet, SyncNet, and EEGChannelNet exhibit exactly the same flawed pattern of behavior as the LSTM model from Spampinato et al. . To summet al.  use the et al. , everythet al. [et al. [et al. [Palazzo et al.  compare et al.  and Syncet al.  and clai [et al.  and Li e [et al. . Our con [et al.  for anal [et al. . It is iFor joint training, the resulting image classifier always performs above chance, usually highly above chance, but the resulting EEG classifier exhibits the same broad characteristics as all other classifiers, namely high classification accuracy on designs that exhibit a confound  and chance on designs that do not .4et al. [et al. [We demonstrate here that the claims 1 and 2 in Palazzo et al.  cannot b [et al. . Furthersupp1-3121268


Surgical site infection following joint replacement surgery is still a significant complication, resulting in repeated surgery, prolonged antibiotic therapy, extended postoperative hospital stay, periprosthetic joint infection, and increased morbidity and mortality. This review discusses the risk factors associated with surgical site infection.etc. Surgery-related factors involve preoperative skin preparation, prolonged duration of surgery, one-stage bilateral joint replacement surgery, blood loss, glove changes, anti-microbial prophylaxis, topical anti-bacterial preparations, wound management, postoperative hematoma, etc. Those risk factors are detailed in the review.The patient-related factors include sex, age, body mass index (BMI), obesity, nutritional status, comorbidities, primary diagnosis, living habits, and scores of the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system, Preventive measures must be taken from multiple perspectives to reduce the incidence of surgical site infection after joint replacement surgery. Surgical site infection (SSI) represents one of the major complications of joint replacement surgery (JRS). It possibly extends postoperative hospital stay, prolongs the antibiotic therapies, and leads to periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). PJI is a devastating and challenging complication that increases morbidity and mortality rates . Althouget al. [et al.[Older patients are particularly vulnerable to post-total hip arthroplasty (THA) infection due to low immune resistance and poor nutritional status –8. Howevet al.  revealed. [et al. did not . [et al.–15.et al. [Obese patients have relatively higher SSI rates than non-obese patients , 16–18. et al.  found thet al. [etal. [Malnutrition is one of the common risk factors. Pruzansky et al.  determin [etal.  revealedet al. [Diabetes Mellitus is associated with wound complications , 23, 24.et al.  reportedet al. . Fructoset al. .Patients with rheumatoid arthritis are prone to SSI because they often receive hormones and immunosuppressants. Many studies have confirmed that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a high incidence of SSI , 27, 28.et al. [P = 0.001). In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Gómez-Ochoa et al. [vs. 1.1%). Parvizi et al. [Asymptomatic bacteriuria and urinary tract infection are the two major urinary tract diseases leading to an increased incidence of SSI. In a multicenter cohort study that enrolled 2,497 JRS patients, Sousa et al.  reporteda et al.  exhibitei et al.  found thi et al. .et al. [et al. [Marusic et al.  reported [et al.  demonstre.gg., atopic dermatitis, psoriasis) was involved in an increased risk of SSI [et al. [A 4-year retrospective cohort study that included 2439 patients, suggested that chronic skin disease . Everhart et al. [et al. [Revision JRS carries a higher SSI rate due to the long operative time and the previous scars that affect wound healing. De Jong et al.  suggestet et al.  reported [et al.  demonstrFemoral head osteonecrosis, osteoarthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, hip dysplasia may not be associated with SSI .et al. [et al. [Many studies showed that smoking increased the incidence of postoperative SSI. In a systematic review of primary JRS patients, Bedard et al.  showed s [et al.  indicateet al. [et al. [Few articles reported on the relationship between alcohol abuse and SSI. Wu et al.  and Poul [et al.  demonstr [et al. .et al. [et al. [vs. 0.80%). Yang et al. [Anesthesiologists often use the ASA score to assess patients’ overall preoperative health condition. Paryavi et al.  showed t [et al.  found ASg et al.  demonstret al. [RD = –0.02, P < 0.001). An alcohol-based solution of chlorhexidine is also recommended as the first choice by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) [et al. [et al. [et al. [et al. [The optimal disinfectant used for preoperative skin preparation remains controversial. Zywiel et al.  found chet al.  displayence (UK) . However [et al.  showed t [et al.  revealed [et al.  also poi [et al.  demonstret al. [vs. 72.2 +± 2 0.3 min; P = 0.03). Sheth et al. [P < 0.01). In a retrospective multicenter study, Liu et al. [P = 0.001). Theoretically, one-stage bilateral JRS increases the operative time, the amount of bleeding and the probability of blood transfusion. However, several studies failed to show differences between simultaneous and unilateral or staged bilateral TKA and THA in infection rate [Prolonged operations increase the time of wound exposure, likelihood of excessive tissue stripping, blood loss, and duration of anaesthesia. All those factors increase the risk of infection. Teo et al.  revealedh et al.  reviewedu et al.  demonstrion rate –52.et al. [During surgery, surgical gloves may be contaminated, especially in prolonged operations. Glove change reduces the risk of SSI. Kim et al.  suggesteet al. [et al. [vs. 80.7%; P < 0.05) or vancomycin  rather than cefazolin  [et al. [et al. [The use of intravenous antibiotics is the most important measure to decrease wound infection. Siddiqi et al.  performe [et al.  retrospe [et al. , 57. Pat < 0.05) . However [et al.  found th [et al.  suggeste et al. [et al. [Antibiotics alone or in combination with certain substances are placed in the joint cavity to attain antibacterial effect. In addition to systemic antibiotic prophylaxis, local administration of gentamicin-collagen sponges reduces SSI incidence in elderly patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty . Peng et et al.  conducte [et al.  reportedet al. [et al. [vs. 16.2%, P = 0.031). They suggested that a negative pressure wound therapy be used in high-risk patients, especially in patients undergoing non-aspirin anticoagulant therapy. In a prospective randomized controlled study, Kuo et al. [P = 0.01). Some surgeons suggested that antibiotic-coated sutures be used to decrease SSI, but offered no strong supporting evidence [The need to drain is always a controversial issue. In a systematic review on SSI, Resende et al.  did not  [et al.  suggesteo et al.  demonstrevidence , 67.et al. [et al. [OR = 11.8; P < 0.05) was a significant predictor of superficial SSI in TKA and THA.The chemical thromboprophylaxis used in JRS to reduce deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary thrombosis may cause hematoma. Hematoma is a suitable culture medium for bacterial reproduction and growth. De Jong et al.  showed t [et al.  found thStaphylococcus aureus screening and decolonization are helpful to reduce bacteria colonization, transmission, and surgical site infection. Saleh et al. [Staphylococcus aureus undergoing the selective treatment showed confirmed eradication, but a significantly increased risk of SSI remains in THA and TKA. This evidence suggests that preoperative bacterial screening and decolonization should be conducted. Weiser and Moucha [Staphylococcus aureus screened in the nasal cavity could potentially reduce the incidence of SSI. Zhu et al. [Staphylococcus aureus significantly reduced the risks of SSI, PJI and superficial infections, compared to the non-decolonization group. The latest systematic review and meta-analysis showed that non-decolonization was associated with a higher risk of Staphylococcus aureus infection (RR = 2.18 ± 0.41) and other infections (RR = 1.70 ± 0.17) in elective JRS [Preoperative h et al.  found med Moucha  found thu et al.  revealedtive JRS .et al. [et al. [vs. 4.9%, P = 0.65).De Jong et al.  found th [et al.  did not et al. [etal. [P = 0.005). Patients on low-income government insurance (Medicaid) had a higher incidence of SSI after shoulder arthroplasty during the initial inpatient stay [Wu et al.  reported [etal.  also fouent stay . Compareent stay . Poor lient stay . et al.[et al. [Kane et al. found th et al.. For pos.[et al.  also sho.[et al. . In addi.[et al. .For invariable factors, such as sex and age, doctors should inform the patients and their family members about the risks. The surgical team should optimize those modifiable factors to decrease the risk of SSI Table .Table 1Aetc. and (5) perform nasal Staphylococcus aureus screening, decolonization, and antibiotic prophylaxis.Preoperatively, the surgeon should fully evaluate patients’ habits, medical history, and health conditions. Some important measures should be taken: (1) quit tobacco and alcohol or even have a cessation program; (2) optimize perioperative levels of blood glucose of diabetic patients; (3) support the patient’s diet to achieve a normal level of hemoglobin and nutritional status; (4) optimize patient’s comorbidities, such as rheumatoid arthritis, peripheral vascular disease, chronic skin disease, Intraoperatively, the surgical team should strictly control the sterility, shorten the operative time, and minimize the trauma as much as possible. Several issues need to be addressed: (1) use Iodine-alcohol for preoperative skin preparation; (2) change gloves after draping, before handling implants or in the presence of perforations; and (3) use a ventilation system with 100-level laminar flow in the operating room.Postoperatively, the surgeons should strictly keep dressing change aseptic, follow-up patients regularly, and address complications in a timely manner. The patient should be informed to consult surgeons if there are wound redness, swelling, and discomfort in the knee. The patient should be prescribed oral antibiotics to prevent blood-borne infection, if they had dental procedures.


Due to a production error, one of the in-text citations under the sub-heading “Participants” was changed from Munch et al. (2018) to Smith et al. (2020).The publisher apologises for this mistake. The original article has been updated.


IUCrData (2019), 4, x191207.Withdrawal of  et al.  is withdrawn.The article by Fang  The art al. 2019.


This Special Issue includes many advanced high-quality papers that focus on gel applications in the oil and gas industry. The papers in this Special Issue present the new development of gels that can be used as conformance control agents, drilling fluid additives, and hydraulic fracturing agents.3/d to 20.0 m3/d, the average water cut was reduced to 60–70%, and the cumulative oil production was predicted to increase almost 3-fold. Cheng et al. [As common conformance control agents, gels have been applied in conventional reservoirs for decades. Recently, more and more research has focused on gel application in harsh environments, including high salinity and/or high temperature. Ding et al.  introducg et al.  used expg et al.  reportedg et al.  introducg et al.  summarizg et al.  presente