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Objectives: To assess the clinical outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with salvage radiotherapy (SRT) for locoregional clinical recurrence (CR) after radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: Records of 60 patients with macroscopic locoregional recurrence after prostatectomy and referrals for SRT were retrospectively investigated in the multi-institutional database. The median radiation dose was 70.2 Gy. Biochemical failure was defined as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) ≥ nadir + 2 or initiation of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for increased PSA. Results: Median recurrent tumor size was 1.1 cm and pre-radiotherapy PSA level was 0.4 ng/ml. At a median follow-up of 83.1-month after SRT, 7-year biochemical failure-free survival (BCFFS), locoregional failure-free survival (LRFFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and overall survival (OS) were 67.0%, 89.7%, 83.6%, and 91.2%, respectively. Higher Gleason's scores were associated with unfavorable BCFFS, DMFS, and OS. Pre-SRT PSA ≥0.5 ng/ml predicted worse BCFFS, LRFFS, and DMFS. In multivariate analyses, a Gleason's score of 8 to 10 was associated with decreased BCFFS (hazard ratio [HR] 3.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.11-8.74, P =.031) and OS (HR 17.72, 95% CI 1.75-179.64, P =.015), and combined ADT decreased the risks of distant metastasis (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.04-0.92, P =.039). Two patients (3.3%) experienced late grade 3 urinary toxicity. Conclusions: SRT for locoregional CR after RP achieved favorable outcomes with acceptable long-term toxicities. Higher Gleason's scores and pre-radiotherapy PSA level were unfavorable prognostic variables. Combined ADT may decrease the risks of metastases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suture buttons have been used for isolated Lisfranc ligament (ILL) fixation. However, no study has reported on its clinical and radiologic outcomes. Methods: In this retrospective comparative study, patients with ILL injuries were divided into 2 groups according to the treatment method: 32 conventional screw group and 31 suture button group. The clinical and radiologic outcomes at preoperation, 6 months and 1 year postoperation, and last follow-up period were measured. Plantar foot pressure was measured at postoperative month 6 months. Postoperative complications at the last follow-up were evaluated. Results: The suture button group showed better American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society midfoot scale (P <.001) and visual analog scale (P <.001) scores compared with the conventional screw fixation group at the postoperative month 6 period before screw removal. However, no significant difference in clinical outcome between the 2 groups was found at postoperative year 1 or last follow-up. No differences in radiologic outcomes were found between the 2 groups. Plantar foot pressure was significantly elevated in the conventional screw group at the great toe and first metatarsal head area compared with the contralateral foot just before screw removal. Recurrent Lisfranc joint diastasis was found in a single case in the conventional screw group and 2 cases in the suture button group. Conclusion: Suture button fixation in the treatment of ILL injuries may provide comparable fixation stability and clinical outcome with conventional screw fixation in the early postoperative period. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective case-control study, therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the online sphere is believed to expose individuals to a wider array of viewpoints, a worry about self-reinforcing political echo chambers also persists. We join this scholarly debate by focusing on individual motives for political discussion and dyadic- and structural-level mechanisms that can drive one's message-selection decision in online discussion settings. Using unobtrusively logged behavioral data matched with panel survey responses, our temporal exponential random graph model (TERGM) analysis indicates that message selection in online discussion settings is largely driven by the similarity of one's candidate evaluative criteria and various endogenous structural factors, whereas the impact of overt partisan preference in shaping message selection is much more limited than is often assumed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, various online communication platforms have empowered citizens to express themselves politically. Although the political impact of online citizen expression has drawn considerable attention, research has largely focused on whether and how citizen-generated messages influence the public as an information alternative to traditional news outlets. The present study aims to provide a new perspective on understanding citizen expression by examining its political implications for the expressers themselves rather than those exposed to the expressed ideas. Data from a national survey and an online discussion forum study suggest that expressing oneself about politics provides self-reinforcing feedback. Political expressions on social media and the online forum were found to (a) reinforce the expressers’ partisan thought process and (b) harden their pre-existing political preferences. Implications for the role the Internet plays in democracy will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditionally, the anterolateral thigh (ALT) free flap is used in distal lower extremity reconstruction. Reverse ALT flap has become one of the most popular choices for knee joint soft tissue defects. A 53-year-old man sustained a degloving injury in the right lateral side of the lower extremity from the lateral malleolar area to the knee joint area. The contamination was severe, necessitating serial debridement and negative pressure wound therapy. After 4 weeks, no more soft tissue necrosis was evident. No more microorganism growth was confirmed by swab culture. ALT free flap using proximal perforator was planned for lateral malleolar area reconstruction and reverse ALT flap using distal perforator was planned to cover knee joint after confirming the pedicle length was sufficient for simultaneous knee and lateral malleolar area reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intersection of consumer culture and civic life has long been a topic of academic discussion. This study revisits the relationship between consumption and civic engagement and investigates the moderators of this relationship. Specifically, we focus on news consumption and opinion leadership as intervening factors that condition the way consumption and civic life are interconnected. Our data reveal that both socially conscious consumption and status-oriented consumption are positively related with civic participation. The positive relationships become stronger when news consumption increases or when one’s opinion leadership is strong. Implications for research on consumer culture and civic engagement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a case study of a 23 year old male patient who presented to physicians with symptoms of painful snapping at the anterolateral aspect of his right ankle which had resulted from twisting his ankle while playing soccer. A discussion of diagnostic testing which was conducted on the patient and resulted in him receiving a diagnosis of an attenuated inferior extensor retinaculum, is presented.

The primary goal of this study is to investigate whether and how elite debates stimulate citizens to take part in information seeking and conversation, two common forms of citizen communication that have been theorized as crucial to public deliberation and political engagement. Drawing on national survey data, this study finds that debate viewing was positively related to news consumption and political conversation. The data further suggest that part of these debate effects is mediated by either campaign interest or negative emotions and that the pattern of indirect debate effects is contingent on viewers’ partisanship. Negative emotional responses to candidates among partisans play a key role in mediating debate effects on communication behaviors, whereas negative emotions are of little consequence for nonpartisan viewers. For nonpartisan viewers, indirect effects of debate viewing on communication behavior operate only through campaign interest. Implications of these findings for debate research and deliberative democracy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Studies examining the effects of news cues (i.e., labels used to characterize issue domains and social groups) typically fail to consider the possibility that news stories may contain multiple cues that have interactive effects on audience processing and opinion expression. To test this possibility, the authors conduct a Web survey–embedded experiment that manipulates features of a news report about civil liberties restrictions targeted at Arabs portrayed as either immigrants or citizens and as either extremists or moderates. Hypotheses predict stronger intercorrelations and faster speed of response among a range of social intolerance evaluations when respondents encounter the combination of immigrant and extremist cues. Findings indicate the convergence of immigrant and extremist cues not only yield stronger associations between group evaluations, social intolerance, immigration opposition, and minority disempowerment but also reduce response latencies. The results across these two measures provide support for a theory of associative priming via cue convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After more than a decade of public journalism efforts, empirical knowledge of whether these efforts have met the movement's goals remains largely based on in-depth case studies. To address this shortcoming, this study analyzes 651 cases of public journalism conducted between 1994 to 2002. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis is used to consider the predictive power of organizational factors, project features, story frames, and efforts to engage citizens and assess public opinion on three civil society outcomes: improvements in citizenship, political processes, and volunteerism. Specific effects on civil society are discussed, study limitations are addressed, and insights for future research and practice are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars of voting behavior have considered party identification, issue positions, and candidate images as key determinants of vote choice. Previous research, however, has not resolved whether the strength of the vote determinants differs across individual voters, depending on patterns of political communication during the course of an election campaign. Research has found both that television news stresses candidates' character rather than policy issues and that political discussion is usually between people who hold similar political beliefs. Based on previous literature, this study hypothesizes that frequent television news viewers are more likely to rely on their perception of candidate image to make an electoral choice, whereas voters who frequently talk to others about politics are more likely to vote on the basis of party identification. National survey data support these hypotheses. Implications for future political communication effects research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of various communication forms or modalities on prospective voters' perceptions of candidates and their attitudes about the democratic process during the 2000 presidential election campaign. A total of 450 prospective voters were surveyed during the final three weeks of the 2000 campaign about communication use, perceptions of the two major party candidates, and attitudes about the democratic process. After controlling for respondents' age, gender, education, strength of party identification, and the number of candidate ads recalled, the results indicated that use of nontraditional communication forms (such as political talk radio and, to a somewhat lesser extent, television entertainment talk shows, television talk shows, and television news magazines) exerted the most influence on perceptions of presidential candidates. Among traditional communication forms, people's use of televised debates exerted considerable influence, but newspapers, magazines, and television news exerted very limited impact. In contrast to this pattern of findings regarding communication use and candidate perceptions, people's use of more traditional communication forms, especially televised debates and newspapers, was associated with positive attitudes about the democratic process, whereas nontraditional media exerted no significant influence on process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the influence of various communication forms or modalities on prospective voters' perceptions of candidates and their attitudes about the democratic process during the 2000 presidential election campaign. A total of 450 prospective voters were surveyed during the final three weeks of the 2000 campaign about communication use, perceptions of the two major party candidates, and attitudes about the democratic process. After controlling for respondents' age, gender, education, strength of party identification, and the number of candidate ads recalled, the results indicated that use of nontraditional communication forms (such as political talk radio and, to a somewhat lesser extent, television entertainment talk shows, television talk shows, and television news magazines) exerted the most influence on perceptions of presidential candidates. Among traditional communication forms, people's use of televised debates exerted considerable influence, but newspapers, magazines, and television news exerted very limited impact. In contrast to this pattern of findings regarding communication use and candidate perceptions, people's use of more traditional communication forms, especially televised debates and newspapers, was associated with positive attitudes about the democratic process, whereas nontraditional media exerted no significant influence on process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This study examined the effects of issue advertising on candidate preferences and the democratic process, comparing the impact of party- and PAC-sponsored advertising against candidate-sponsored positive and contrast ads. Results revealed that the influence of political advertising varies depending on party affiliation. For Republicans, candidate-sponsored contrast and party-sponsored ads are most influential, but with unaffiliated viewers, candidate-sponsored positive ads are most effective whereas party-sponsored ads are the least persuasive. Effects of political advertising on the democratic system were especially revealing. Results revealed that candidate advertising enhances viewer interest in campaigns and knowledge of candidates and their positions, but that other effects vary based on party affiliation. Finally, the study tested inoculation as an antidote to system-based consequences of issue advertising. Results revealed that inoculation was able to protect viewers against the consequences of party-sponsored ads. However, with PAC-sponsored ads, efficacy was restricted to Republican viewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]