The Mediating Role of Psychological Need Thwarting in the Relationship Between Compulsory Citizenship Behavior and Psychological Withdrawal

This study examined a novel process underlying the relationship between compulsory citizenship behavior and psychological withdrawal. Specifically, based on basic psychological needs theory, thwarting of autonomy and relatedness needs were expected to explain the association between compulsory citizenship behavior and psychological withdrawal. The PROCESS macro was used to analyze the data collected from 368 clerical staff working in public universities in Pakistan. The results confirmed that thwarting of autonomy and relatedness need mediated the relationship between compulsory citizenship behavior and psychological withdrawal. This study makes a significant contribution to the unexplored domain of the process employees use to cope with compulsory citizenship behavior. It also highlights the role of an understudied construct, i.e., psychological need thwarting as a crucial motivational mechanism for elucidating the relationship between compulsory citizenship behavior and psychological withdrawal. The findings of this study provide recommendations for future researchers, along with its implications for practitioners.

Dynamic linkages between tourism, energy, environment, and economic growth: evidence from top 10 tourism-induced countries

The importance of sustainable tourism in environmental literature is well documented, while there is a need to explore its different socio-economic and environmental factors that are helpful to promote sustainable development across countries. The objective of the study is to investigate the relationship between international tourism (ITOUR), energy demand (ED), carbon dioxide emissions (CO₂), and economic growth (EG) by using a panel data of top 10 tourism-induced countries for the period of 1995-2016. The findings confirmed the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis in the panel of top 10 countries. Moreover, the results show that FDI inflows negatively influenced natural environment in the form of high mass carbon emissions, which supported "pollution haven hypothesis (PHH)." The energy demand escalates carbon emissions across countries. The study confirmed the feedback relationship between (i) tourism income (TI) and ED, and (ii) CO₂ emissions and international tourism departures (ITD), while study supported the growth-led tourism income across countries. The study concludes that government(s) should have to focus on ecotourism policies and energy resources in a way to mitigate carbon emissions that is imperative for sustainable development across countries.

A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Predicts Progression of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Individuals at Risk

OBJECTIVE

We tested the ability of a type 1 diabetes (T1D) genetic risk score (GRS) to predict progression of islet autoimmunity and T1D in at-risk individuals.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We studied the 1,244 TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (T1D patients' relatives without diabetes and with one or more positive autoantibodies) who were genotyped with Illumina ImmunoChip (median [range] age at initial autoantibody determination 11.1 years [1.2-51.8], 48% male, 80.5% non-Hispanic white, median follow-up 5.4 years). Of 291 participants with a single positive autoantibody at screening, 157 converted to multiple autoantibody positivity and 55 developed diabetes. Of 953 participants with multiple positive autoantibodies at screening, 419 developed diabetes. We calculated the T1D GRS from 30 T1D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used multivariable Cox regression models, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the curve (AUC) measures to evaluate prognostic utility of T1D GRS, age, sex, Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) Risk Score, positive autoantibody number or type, HLA DR3/DR4-DQ8 status, and race/ethnicity. We used recursive partitioning analyses to identify cut points in continuous variables.

RESULTS

Higher T1D GRS significantly increased the rate of progression to T1D adjusting for DPT-1 Risk Score, age, number of positive autoantibodies, sex, and ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 for a 0.05 increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.6; P = 0.011). Progression to T1D was best predicted by a combined model with GRS, number of positive autoantibodies, DPT-1 Risk Score, and age (7-year time-integrated AUC = 0.79, 5-year AUC = 0.73). Higher GRS was significantly associated with increased progression rate from single to multiple positive autoantibodies after adjusting for age, autoantibody type, ethnicity, and sex (HR 2.27 for GRS >0.295, 95% CI 1.47-3.51; P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The T1D GRS independently predicts progression to T1D and improves prediction along T1D stages in autoantibody-positive relatives.

Experiences of young smokers in quitting smoking in twin cities of Pakistan: a phenomenological study

BACKGROUND

Smoking is highly prevalent in Pakistan claiming the lives of over 100,000 individuals every year. A significant proportion of smokers (24.7%) make an attempt to quit each year but 97.4% fail to quit successfully. Little is known about the reasons for, and experiences of, failed quit attempts. This study was carried out to explore the experiences of young male smokers in quitting smoking in the twin cities of Pakistan METHOD: A qualitative study was carried out using a phenomenological approach in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A total of 11 participants were interviewed. All study participants were male and had made at least one quit attempt. Study participants were a mix of smokers who failed to quit smoking, intermittent smokers and successful quitters. Streubert's (1991) method of phenomenology was followed during data analysis.

RESULTS

The experiences of smokers while smoking "the smoking phase" have major effects on their journey towards quitting smoking. The smoking phase consists of three major stages: contact with initial smoking stimuli, the journey from first puff to enjoying smoking and then finally smoking becoming part of life. However, the journey towards quitting smoking is not as simple as the journey towards becoming a smoker. Instead, smokers get trapped in three overlapping cycles of smoking and quit attempts: smoking & forced quitting, smoking & intentional quitting, and smoking & intermittent smoking before successful quitting. Breaking the cycle is not easy in the presence of trapping factors (addiction, high availability, easy affordability, conducive social setup and low perceived risks of smoking). Three factors play a major role in breaking these cycles which are strong will power, continuous peer support and avoidance of smokers' company.

CONCLUSION

A young smoker, during his experience of quitting smoking gets entrapped in several overlapping cycles of smoking & quit attempts before successful quitting. There are known entrapping factors as well as factors which help in breaking these cycles. Targeted interventions are needed to facilitate smoking cessation among young smokers in Pakistan.

Plant secretomics: identification, isolation, and biological significance under environmental stress

Plant secretomes are the proteins secreted by the plant cells and are involved in the maintenance of cell wall structure, relationship between host and pathogen, communication between different cells in the plant, etc. Amalgamation of methodologies like bioinformatics, biochemical, and proteomics are used to separate, classify, and outline secretomes by means of harmonizing in planta systems and in vitro suspension cultured cell system (SSCs). We summed up and explained the meaning of secretome, methods used for the identification and isolation of secreted proteins from extracellular space and methods for the assessment of purity of secretome proteins in this review. Two D PAGE method and HPLC based methods for the analysis together with different bioinformatics tools used for the prediction of secretome proteins are also discussed. Biological significance of secretome proteins under different environmental stresses, i.e., salt stress, drought stress, oxidative stress, etc., defense responses and plant interactions with environment are also explained in detail.

Wound complications and treatment of the infected implantable cardioverter defibrillator generator

Since 1980, the automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) has evolved as effective therapy for prevention of sudden cardiac death following documented sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation. During a 5-year period, 412 ICD devices were implanted at the University of Michigan Hospitals with a wound complication rate of 4.1%. In this group, there were 13 infections, 3 erosions of the generator pocket, and 1 wound hematoma. Of the 16 patients with infection or erosion, 12 patients were treated with a rectus abdominis muscle flap closure and 4 with ICD generator removal. In 83% (n = 12) of the muscle flap patients, the wound healed uneventfully. Preoperative chest CT scanning was found to be helpful in identifying probable infection of the epicardial leads. In these cases, all hardware had to be removed to achieve resolution of the infection. We concluded that rectus abdominis muscle flaps were helpful in salvaging infected or exposed ICD generators in the absence of infected epicardial leads.

The stress response in skin: the role of neutrophil products in preconditioning

In this study we tested the hypothesis that neutrophil products are present in ischemic skin flaps and that they are abolished with preconditioning of the skin. Random back flaps were created on rats, and the sequential appearance of neutrophil products and tissue oxidants was measured in the skin flaps. These flaps had predictable skin necrosis (4.7 +/- 0.8 cm) in the distal ends, while preconditioned flaps had no skin necrosis. Neutrophil products were assayed by both histomorphometrics and myeloperoxidase assays. Lipid peroxidation products were measured to assess tissue oxidant production. These data demonstrate that there is an increase in myeloperoxidase activity in skin flaps that is statistically significantly greater in the distal ends of the flaps at 24 hours (p < 0.05). The lipid peroxidation products were statistically significantly elevated at 48 hours in the distal ends (p < 0.05). Preconditioning the skin as a bipedicled skin flap for 7 days and then dividing the distal attachment abolished neutrophil products and tissue oxidant activity in the skin flaps (p < 0.05). These data suggest that neutrophil products and oxidant production are increased in ischemic skin and that preconditioning of the flap markedly attenuates this response.

Mycosis fungoides cells in sputum. A case report

Atypical lymphoid cells were identified in the sputum of a patient known to have mycosis fungoides. Although the lungs are the second most common organ to be affected when there is extracutaneous dissemination of mycosis fungoides, this is the first report of pulmonary involvement diagnosed by the cytologic identification of "mycosis cells" in the sputum.