bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of liver disease on oral anticoagulant prescription and major adverse events in patients with atrial fibrillation: analysis from a population-based cohort study
Authors: Proietti Marco , Marzona Irene , Vannini Tommaso , Colacioppo Pierluca , Tettamanti Mauro , Foresta Andreana , Fortino Ida , Merlino Luca , Lip Gregory Y H , Roncaglioni Maria Carla
Published: February 2020

Aims 

Data on the impact of liver disease (LD) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and the role of oral anticoagulant (OAC) drugs for stroke prevention are limited.

Methods and results 

A retrospective observational population-based cohort study on the administrative health databases of Lombardy region Italy. All AF patients ≥40 years admitted to hospital from 2000 to 2018 were considered. Atrial fibrillation and LD diagnosis were established using ICD9-CM codes. Use of OAC was determined with Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical codes. Primary study outcomes were stroke, major bleeding, and all-cause death. Among 393 507 AF patients, 16 168 (4.1%) had concomitant LD. Liver disease AF patients were significantly less treated with OAC. Concomitant LD was associated with an increased risk in all the study outcomes [hazard ratio (HR): 1.18, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11–1.25 for stroke; HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.47–1.66 for major bleeding; HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.39–1.44 for all-cause death]. Use of OAC in patients with AF and LD resulted in a reduction in stroke (HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.70–0.92), major bleeding (HR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.74–0.99), and all-cause death (HR: 0.77, 95% CI: 0.73–0.80), with similar results according to subgroups. A net clinical benefit (NCB) analysis suggested a positive benefit/risk ratio in using OAC in AF patients with LD (NCB: 0.408, 95% CI: 0.375–0.472).

Conclusion

In AF patients, concomitant LD carries a significantly higher risk for all clinical outcomes. Use of OAC in AF patients with LD was associated with a significant favourable benefit/risk ratio, even in high-risk patient subgroups.
How Are Employers Responding to an Aging Workforce?
Authors: Clark Robert L , Ritter Beth M
Published: February 2020

The American population is aging and changes in the population’s age structure are leading to an aging of the nation’s workforce. In addition, changes to age-specific participation rates are exacerbating the aging of the national labor force. An important challenge for firms and organizations is how does workforce aging affect labor costs, productivity, and the sustainability of the organization. This article examines employer responses to workforce aging, including changes to retirement policies, modification in working conditions, adoption of phased retirement plans, and reforming other employee benefits.
Asian IP Law: An Area of Rising Importance
Authors: Liu Kung-Chung , Zheng Shufeng
Published: February 2020

Intellectual property (IP) laws are an important instrument for promoting cooperation and peace in Asia. In their own ways, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and India all serve as IP success stories. Structural features of the IP landscape in major Asian jurisdictions include the following: technocrat-driven IP law, national IP strategies and specialized IP or patent judges. In addition, there are five distinctively Asian developments worth noticing: the sweeping criminalization of copyright infringement, an explosion in the number of registered trademarks, the very limited use of compulsory patent licensing and the convergence on certain standards for the licensing of standard essential patents (SEPs). On the other hand, it is notable that an open-ended and general fair use clause has had a mixed reception in Asian copyright and trademark law. Finding ways to enhance cooperation across Asia, steering IP regimes through trade deals and free trade agreements (FTAs), envisioning a fairer (or at least more functional) mechanism for paying creators, and improving the quality and performance of IP or patent judges are among the important issues that need addressing in the continuing effort to leverage IP laws as a tool for prosperity and peace in Asia.
Metabolic and immunologic control of intestinal cell function by mTOR
Authors: Fritsch Stephanie D , Weichhart Thomas
Published: February 2020

The intestinal epithelium is one of the most quickly dividing tissues in our body, combining the absorptive advantages of a single layer with the protection of a constantly renewing barrier. It is continuously exposed to nutrients and commensal bacteria as well as microbial and host-derived metabolites, but also to hazards such as pathogenic bacteria and toxins. These environmental cues are sensed by the mucosa and a vast repertory of immune cells, especially macrophages. A disruption of intestinal homeostasis in terms of barrier interruption can lead to inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer, and macrophages have an important role in restoring epithelial function following injury. The mammalian/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway senses environmental cues and integrates metabolic responses. It has emerged as an important regulator of intestinal functions in homeostasis and disease. In this review, we are going to discuss intestinal mTOR signalling and metabolic regulation in different intestinal cell populations with a special focus on immune cells and their actions on intestinal function.
Health system capacity for tuberculosis care in Ethiopia: evidence from national representative survey
Authors: Deribew Amare , Dejene Tariku , Defar Atkure , Berhanu Della , Biadgilign Sibhatu , Tekle Ephrem , Asheber Kassahun , Deribe Kebede
Published: February 2020

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the tuberculosis (TB) health system capacity and its variations by location and types of health facilities in Ethiopia.

Design

We used the Service Provision Assessment plus (SPA+) survey data that were collected in 2014 in all hospitals and randomly selected health centers and private facilities in all regions of Ethiopia. We assessed structural, process and overall health system capacity based on the Donabedian quality of care model. Multiple linear regression and spatial analysis were done to assess TB capacity score variation across regions.

Setting

The study included 873 public and private health facilities all over Ethiopia.

Participants

None.

Intervention(s)

None.

Main outcome measure(s)

None.

Results

A total of 873 health facilities were included in the analysis. The overall TB care capacity score was 76.7%, 55.9% and 37.8% in public hospitals, health centers and private facilities, respectively. The health system capacity score for TB was higher in the urban (60.4%) facilities compared to that of the rural (50.0%) facilities (β = 8.0, 95% CI: 4.4, 11.6). Health centers (β = −16.2, 95% CI: −20.0, −12.3) and private health facilities (β = −38.3, 95% CI: −42.4, −35.1) had lower TB care capacity score than hospitals. Overall TB care capacity score were lower in Western and Southwestern Ethiopia and in Benishangul-Gumuz and Gambella regions.

Conclusions

The health system capacity score for TB care in Ethiopia varied across regions. Health system capacity improvement interventions should focus on the private sectors and health facilities in the rural and remote areas to ensure equity and improve quality of care.
Domains, tasks, and knowledge for health informatics practice: results of a practice analysis
Authors: Gadd Cynthia S , Steen Elaine B , Caro Carla M , Greenberg Sandra , Williamson Jeffrey J , Fridsma Douglas B
Published: February 2020

Objective

To develop a comprehensive and current description of what health informatics (HI) professionals do and what they need to know.

Materials and Methods

Six independent subject-matter expert panels drawn from and representative of HI professionals contributed to the development of a draft HI delineation of practice (DoP). An online survey was distributed to HI professionals to validate the draft DoP. A total of 1011 HI practitioners completed the survey. Survey respondents provided domain, task, knowledge and skill (KS) ratings, qualitative feedback on the completeness of the DoP, and detailed professional background and demographic information.

Results

This practice analysis resulted in a validated, comprehensive, and contemporary DoP comprising 5 domains, 74 tasks, and 144 KS statements.

Discussion

The HI practice analysis defined “health informatics professionals” to include practitioners with clinical (eg, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy), public health, and HI or computer science training. The affirmation of the DoP by reviewers and survey respondents reflects the emergence of a core set of tasks performed and KSs used by informaticians representing a broad spectrum of those currently practicing in the field.

Conclusion

The HI practice analysis represents the first time that HI professionals have been surveyed to validate a description of their practice. The resulting HI DoP is an important milestone in the maturation of HI as a profession and will inform HI certification, accreditation, and education activities.
N 1-methyladenosine (m1A) RNA modification: the key to ribosome control
Authors: Shima Hiroki , Igarashi Kazuhiko
Published: February 2020

RNA displays diverse functions in living cells. The presence of various chemical modifications of RNA mediated by enzymes is one of the factors that impart such functional diversity to RNA. Among more than 100 types of RNA modification, N1-methyladenosine (m1A) is found mainly in tRNA and rRNA of many living organisms and is known to be deeply implicated in the topology or function of the two classes of RNA. In this commentary article, we would like to deal with the functional significance of m1A in RNA, and also to describe one methyltransferase installing m1A in a large subunit rRNA, whose orthologue in Caenorhabditis elegans was discovered recently and was reported in this journal.
Systematics and paleoecology of Miocene brachyuran crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Cancroidea, Portunidae) from the St. Marys Formation, Maryland, USA
Authors: Bahman Heedar , Feldmann Rodney M , Schweitzer Carrie E
Published: February 2020

A collection of decapod fossils from the Miocene St. Marys Formation, Little Cove Point Member (Maryland, USA), yielded six species belonging to three genera of brachyuran crabs, NecronectesA. Milne-Edwards, 1881, CallinectesStimpson, 1860, and CancerLinnaeus, 1758. Cancer included four species, Cancer irroratusSay, 1817; C. borealisStimpson, 1859; and two new species, C. nancei and C. zahrae. Necronectes is represented by N. drydeniRathbun, 1935. Callinectes was also represented by a single species, C. sapidusRathbun, 1896. Most of the fossils were small relative to normal adult size, suggesting that the environment served as a nursery to developing individuals. The paleoecology of Chesapeake Bay was similar to the present-day ecology based on study of recent faunas, lithology, and paleoecology. The paleoenvironment was a shallow embayment within the temperate climate zone.
Embedded spectral descriptors: learning the point-wise correspondence metric via Siamese neural networks
Authors: Sun Zhiyu , He Yusen , Gritsenko Andrey , Lendasse Amaury , Baek Stephen
Published: February 2020

A robust and informative local shape descriptor plays an important role in mesh registration. In this regard, spectral descriptors that are based on the spectrum of the Laplace–Beltrami operator have been a popular subject of research for the last decade due to their advantageous properties, such as isometry invariance. Despite such, however, spectral descriptors often fail to give a correct similarity measure for nonisometric cases where the metric distortion between the models is large. Hence, they are not reliable for correspondence matching problems when the models are not isometric. In this paper, it is proposed a method to improve the similarity metric of spectral descriptors for correspondence matching problems. We embed a spectral shape descriptor into a different metric space where the Euclidean distance between the elements directly indicates the geometric dissimilarity. We design and train a Siamese neural network to find such an embedding, where the embedded descriptors are promoted to rearrange based on the geometric similarity. We demonstrate our approach can significantly enhance the performance of the conventional spectral descriptors by the simple augmentation achieved via the Siamese neural network in comparison to other state-of-the-art methods.
Ethnic Disparities in ImagingUtilization at Diagnosis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: Morgan Rustain L , Karam Sana D , Bradley Cathy J
Published: February 2020

Background

Prior research demonstrated statistically significant racial disparities related to lung cancer treatment and outcomes. We examined differences in initial imaging and survival between blacks, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic whites.

Methods

The linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database between 2007 and 2015 was used to compare initial imaging modality for patients with lung cancer. Participants included 28 881 non-Hispanic whites, 3123 black, and 1907 Hispanics, patients age 66 years and older who were enrolled in Medicare fee-for-service and diagnosed with lung cancer. The primary outcome was comparison of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with computerized tomography (CT) imaging use between groups. A secondary outcome was 12-month cancer-specific survival. Information on stage, treatment, and treatment facility was included in the analysis. Chi-square test and logistic regression were used to evaluate factors associated with imaging use. Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to calculate adjusted hazard ratios and survival. All statistical tests were two-sided.

Results

After adjusting for demographic, community, and facility characteristics, blacks were less likely to undergo PET or CT imaging at diagnosis compared with non-Hispanic whites odds ratio (OR) = 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.50 to 0.59; P < .001). Hispanics were also less likely to receive PET with CT imaging (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.65 to 0.81; P < .001). PET with CT was associated with improved survival (HR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.57 to 0.65; P < .001).

Conclusions

Blacks and Hispanics are less likely to undergo guideline-recommended PET with CT imaging at diagnosis of lung cancer, which may partially explain differences in survival. Awareness of this issue will allow for future interventions aimed at reducing this disparity.
At the Junction Between Subsistence and Reference: A Pragmatist Take on Interaction Analysis
Authors: Martine Thomas , Brummans Boris H J M , Cooren François
Published: February 2020

This paper presents a view of interaction analysis that departs from the intersubjectivist assumptions that underlie its ethnomethodological tradition. Adopting a pragmatist perspective, we propose to treat phenomena as being composed of relations; that is, as being constituted by passing through various things and beings. Extending Latour’s work on modernity, we argue that interaction analysts aim to capture social phenomena at the junction between two modes of existence or two manners of passing through others. In the mode of subsistence, social phenomena are (re)produced by continuously passing through new elements. In the mode of reference, social phenomena sustain themselves by going back and forth between various inscriptions. Based on a case study, we show how the movement of subsistence always eludes that of reference, and how analysts can only move along with this movement by limiting their corroboration techniques, both in number and in range. Thus, this paper makes an important contribution to research on language and social interaction, as well as science and technology studies.
Gender Differences in Political Media Coverage: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Van der Pas Daphne Joanna , Aaldering Loes
Published: February 2020

Do the media cover men and women politicians and candidates differently? This article performs a systematic analysis of 90 studies covering over 25,000 politicians in over 750,000 media stories, and presents the accumulated knowledge in a comprehensive theoretical framework. The paper shows that there is a gender bias in the amount of coverage of politicians in proportional electoral systems, where women politicians lag behind men in media attention, but that, surprisingly, this gender bias is absent in majoritarian electoral systems. In addition, we systematically review gender differences in the content of media reports on political candidates, such as differences in attention to private life and family, viability and horse-race coverage, issue coverage, and gender stereotypes. Overall, women politicians receive more attention to their appearance and personal life, more negative viability coverage, and, to some extent, stereotypical issue and trait coverage. We conclude by pointing out promising avenues for future research.
Dynamics in the emergence of dormant and non-dormant herbaceous species from the soil seed bank from a Brazilian dry forest
Authors: de Souza José Djalma , de Souza Aguiar Bruno Ayron , dos Santos Danielle Melo , de Araujo Vanessa Kelly Rodrigues , Simões Júlia Arruda , de Andrade Juliana Ramos , de Lima Araújo Elcida
Published: February 2020

Aims

In dry tropical forests, herbaceous species may have dormancy mechanisms and form persistent and transient seed banks in the soil. Evolutionarily acquired, these mechanisms are efficient for the establishment and survival of these herbs, especially in forests with unpredictable climates, such as the Caatinga. Thus, our objective was to verify whether the studied herbaceous species adopt the physical dormancy mechanism and how these natural barriers are overcome, to understand the temporal dynamics existing in the soil seed bank from a Brazilian dry tropical forest.

Methods

Seeds of five native herbaceous species from the Caatinga forests were selected and submitted to pre-germinative treatments for verifying the presence of physical dormancy. We collected soil samples in the rainy and dry seasons for four consecutive years and monitored the emergence of the selected herbaceous in the greenhouse. We verified the differences in germination and seed bank emergence in the soil by generalized linear models.

Important Findings

The presence and absence of physical dormancy were observed in seeds from Caatinga herbaceous species. We found intraspecific and interspecific differences in the herbaceous emergence from soil seed banks between years and climatic seasons. In perennial herbs, consecutive lack of emergence between seasons and years was frequent, which suggests a direct relationship with the mechanism of physical dormancy and the environmental conditions necessary to overcome integument barriers. In these species, seed dimorphism and dormancy may confer additional advantages to their survival. Moreover, presenting intermediate levels of physical dormancy in an annual species may be an evolutionary adjustment to rainfall unpredictability. In contrast, we found that the annual herb without dormancy is more sensitive to seasonal and interannual climate changes, as evidenced by the increase and significant reduction of its emergence in the soil seed bank. These differences acquired evolutionarily are advantageous for the establishment of herbaceous populations, mainly in semiarid regions with an unpredictable climate.
Whole Genome Sequencing Detects Minimal Clustering Among Escherichia coli Sequence Type 131-H30 Isolates Collected From United States Children’s Hospitals
Authors: Miles-Jay Arianna , Weissman Scott J , Adler Amanda L , Baseman Janet G , Zerr Danielle M
Published: February 2020

We applied whole genome sequencing to identify putative transmission clusters among clinical multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli sequence type 131-H30 isolates from 4 United States children’s hospitals. Of 126 isolates, 17 were involved in 8 putative transmission clusters; 4 clusters showed evidence of healthcare-associated epidemiologic linkages. Geographic clustering analyses showed weak geographic clustering.
OASTL-A1 functions as a cytosolic cysteine synthase and affects arsenic tolerance in rice
Authors: Wang Chengcheng , Zheng Lihua , Tang Zhong , Sun Shengkai , Ma Jian Feng , Huang Xin-Yuan , Zhao Fang-Jie
Published: February 2020

Arsenic (As) contamination in paddy soil can cause phytotoxicity and elevated As accumulation in rice grains. Arsenic detoxification is closely linked to sulfur assimilation, but the genes involved have not been described in rice. In this study, we characterize the function of OASTL-A1, an O-acetylserine(thiol) lyase, in cysteine biosynthesis and detoxification of As in rice. Tissue expression analysis revealed that OsOASTL-A1 is mainly expressed in roots at the vegetative growth stage and in nodes at the reproductive stage. Furthermore, the expression of OsOASTL-A1 in roots was strongly induced by As exposure. Transgenic rice plants expressing pOsOASTL-A1::GUS (β-glucuronidase) indicated that OsOASTL-A1 was strongly expressed in the outer cortex and the vascular cylinder in the root mature zone. Subcellular localization using OsOASTL-A1:eGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein) fusion protein showed that OsOASTL-A1 was localized to the cytosol. In vivo and in vitro enzyme activity assays showed that OsOASTL-A1 possessed the O-acetylserine(thiol) lyase activity. Knockout of OsOASTL-A1 led to significantly lower levels of cysteine, glutathione, and phytochelatins in roots and increased sensitivity to arsenate stress. Furthermore, the osoastl-a1 knockout mutants reduced As accumulation in the roots, but increased As accumulation in shoots. We conclude that OsOASTL-A1 is the cytosolic O-acetylserine(thiol) lyase that plays an important role in non-protein thiol biosynthesis in roots for As detoxification.
Overexpression of bHLH95, a basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor family member, impacts trichome formation via regulating gibberellin biosynthesis in tomato
Authors: Chen Yao , Su Dan , Li Jie , Ying Shiyu , Deng Heng , He Xiaoqing , Zhu Yunqi , Li Ying , Chen Ya , Pirrello Julien , Bouzayen Mondher , Liu Yongsheng , Liu Mingchun
Published: February 2020

Trichomes are epidermal protuberances on aerial parts of plants known to play an important role in biotic and abiotic stresses. To date, our knowledge of the regulation of trichome formation in crop species is very limited. Through phenotyping of the Solanum pennellii×S. lycopersicum (cv. M82) introgression population, we identified the SlbHLH95 transcription factor as a negative regulator of trichome formation in tomato. In line with this negative role, SlbHLH95 displayed a very low expression in stems where trichomes are present at high density. Overexpression of SlbHLH95 resulted in a dramatically reduced trichome density in stems and a significant down-regulation of a set of trichome-related genes. In addition to the lower trichome density, overexpressing lines also showed pleiotropic alterations affecting both vegetative and reproductive development. While most of these phenotypes were reminiscent of gibberellin (GA)-deficient phenotypes, expression studies showed that two GA biosynthesis genes, SlGA20ox2 and SlKS5, are significantly down-regulated in SlbHLH95-OE plants. Moreover, in line with a decrease in active GA content, the glabrous and dwarf phenotypes were rescued by exogenous GA treatment. In addition, yeast one-hybrid and transactivation assays revealed that SlbHLH95 represses the expression of SlGA20ox2 and SlKS5 via direct binding to their promoters. Taken together, our study established a link between SlbHLH95, GA, and trichome formation, and uncovered the role of this gene in modulating GA biosynthesis in tomato.
Three rationalities for making sense of internal displacement in Ukraine
Authors: Uehling Greta Lynn
Published: February 2020

The territorial disputes between Russian Federation and Ukraine over Crimea and Donbas have led to the forcible internal displacement of at least 1.6 million people. While Although the literature on forced migration and internal displacement have been framed predominantly in terms of trauma and disenfranchisement (IOM 2018; Dunn 2018), this article argues that a fuller range of Internally Displaced Person (IDP) subjectivities can be made intelligible by considering the rationalities organizing IDP survival. Based on a comparative analysis of 155 interviews with IDPs from Crimea and Donbas, the article demonstrates that forced displacement is more heterogenous than has previously been allowed. I theorize this diversity by using analytics of governmentality to examine the logics or ‘rationalities’ used to make sense of forced migration. The conceptual tools offered by studies of governmentality are ideal for this case because they overlap with themes that predominated in data collected during ethnographic fieldwork in Ukraine between 2015 and 2017: agency, responsibility, and freedom. The article contributes a framework for comparing IDP subjectivities that encompasses diversity and provides a new vocabulary for describing the strategic efforts forced migrants exert to mend their lives.
Methanol and water maser observations separate disc and outflow sources in IRAS 19410+2336
Authors: Darwish M S , Edris K A , Richards A M S , Etoka S , Saad M S , Beheary M M , Fuller G A
Published: February 2020

We investigate the kinematics of high-mass protostellar objects within the high-mass star-forming region IRAS 19410+2336. We performed high angular resolution observations of 6.7-GHz methanol and 22 GHz water masers using the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) and e-MERLIN interferometers. The 6.7-GHz methanol maser emission line was detected within the ∼16–27 km s−1 velocity range with a peak flux density ∼50 Jy. The maser spots are spread over ∼1.3 arcsec on the sky, corresponding to ∼2800 au at a distance of 2.16 kpc. These are the first astrometric measurements at 6.7 GHz in IRAS 19410+2336. The 22-GHz water maser line was imaged in 2005 and 2019 (the latter with good astrometry). Its velocities range from 13 to ∼29 km s−1. The peak flux density was found to be 18.7 and 13.487 Jy in 2005 and 2019, respectively. The distribution of the water maser components is up to 165 mas, ∼350 au at 2.16 kpc. We find that the Eastern methanol masers most probably trace outflows from the region of millimetre source mm1. The water masers to the West lie in a disc (flared or interacting with outflow/infall) around another more evolved millimetre source (13-s). The maser distribution suggests that the disc lies at an angle of 60° or more to the plane of the sky and the observed line-of-sight velocities then suggest an enclosed mass between 44 M⊙ and as little as 11 M⊙ if the disc is edge-on. The Western methanol masers may be infalling.
Bacterial Group II Intron Genomic Neighborhoods Reflect Survival Strategies: Hiding and Hijacking
Authors: Waldern Justin , Schiraldi Nicholas J , Belfort Marlene , Novikova Olga
Published: February 2020

Group II (gII) introns are mobile retroelements that can spread to new DNA sites through retrotransposition, which can be influenced by a variety of host factors. To determine if these host factors bear any relationship to the genomic location of gII introns, we developed a bioinformatic pipeline wherein we focused on the genomic neighborhoods of bacterial gII introns within their native contexts and sought to determine global relationships between introns and their surrounding genes. We found that, although gII introns inhabit diverse regions, these neighborhoods are often functionally enriched for genes that could promote gII intron retention or proliferation. On one hand, we observe that gII introns are frequently found hiding in mobile elements or after transcription terminators. On the other hand, gII introns are enriched in locations in which they could hijack host functions for their movement, potentially timing expression of the intron with genes that produce favorable conditions for retrotransposition. Thus, we propose that gII intron distributions have been shaped by relationships with their surrounding genomic neighbors.
Ancient Coretention of Paralogs of Cid Centromeric Histones and Cal1 Chaperones in Mosquito Species
Authors: Kursel Lisa E , Welsh Frances C , Malik Harmit S
Published: February 2020

Despite their essential role in chromosome segregation in most eukaryotes, centromeric histones (CenH3s) evolve rapidly and are subject to gene turnover. We previously identified four instances of gene duplication and specialization of Cid, which encodes for the CenH3 in Drosophila. We hypothesized that retention of specialized Cid paralogs could be selectively advantageous to resolve the intralocus conflict that occurs on essential genes like Cid, which are subject to divergent selective pressures to perform multiple functions. We proposed that intralocus conflict could be a widespread phenomenon that drives evolutionary innovation in centromeric proteins. If this were the case, we might expect to find other instances of coretention and specialization of centromeric proteins during animal evolution. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that most mosquito species encode two CenH3 (mosqCid) genes, mosqCid1 and mosqCid2, which have been coretained for over 150 My. In addition, Aedes species encode a third mosqCid3 gene, which arose from an independent gene duplication of mosqCid1. Like Drosophila Cid paralogs, mosqCid paralogs evolve under different selective constraints and show tissue-specific expression patterns. Analysis of mosqCid N-terminal protein motifs further supports the model that mosqCid paralogs have functionally diverged. Extending our survey to other centromeric proteins, we find that all Anopheles mosquitoes encode two CAL1 paralogs, which are the chaperones that deposit CenH3 proteins at centromeres in Diptera, but a single CENP-C paralog. The ancient coretention of paralogs of centromeric proteins adds further support to the hypothesis that intralocus conflict can drive their coretention and functional specialization.
Malignant primary pulmonary meningioma with bone metastasis
Authors: Minami Yusuke , Sato Shingo , Koyanagi Hirotaka , Kinowaki Yuko
Published: February 2020

Primary pulmonary meningioma is extremely rare and only <45 cases have been reported since its first report by Kemnitz and Heinrich (Meningioma of lung: first report with light and electronmicroscopic findings. Ultrastruct. Pathol. 1982;3:359–65). Among these cases, only five cases were malignant or atypical. A 67-year-old female with primary pulmonary meningioma underwent thoracoscopic pulmonary wedge resection of the left lower lobe a year before. She had been aware of left thigh pain for 9 months, then she was referred to our division. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography suspected multiple bone metastasis including frontal bone, mandible, left scapula, rib, vertebra, pubis, left femur and sternum. We performed a needle biopsy of the sternum. Histopathological diagnosis was metastasis of primary pulmonary meningioma, World Health Organization grade III. We treated her with denosumab and radiation therapy targeting the left femur. Two months after the treatment, the pain had decreased and she could walk with no cane. No case of malignant extracranial meningioma with bone metastasis have been reported.
Haemobilia in a previously stented hilar cholangiocarcinoma: successful haemostasis after the insertion of fcSEMS
Authors: Tien T , Tan Y C , Baptiste P , Tanwar S
Published: February 2020

Haemobilia describes blood loss from the biliary tract and classically presents as Quincke’s triad: upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB), jaundice and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. We discuss the case of a 70-year-old male with a previously stented Bismuth 1 hilar cholangiocarcinoma who presented with haematemesis. He had a similar presentation a month ago where a forward viewing gastroscope identified fresh and altered blood in the distal stomach but no clear source of bleeding. During this admission, a side-viewing duodenoscope identified bleeding from the periampullary region, which was managed by inserting a fully covered self-expanding metal stent (fcSEMS) within his pre-existing uncovered SEMS to tamponade the haemorrhage. This case highlights the importance of using a side-viewing duodenoscope for patients with UGIB on a background of a stented cholangiocarcinoma and inserting a fcSEMS within an uncovered SEMS is feasible and effective in managing these patients.
A right atrial myxoma presenting with misleading features of acalculous cholecystitis
Authors: Lempesis Ioannis G , Naxaki Anna , Koukoufiki Eirini , Karagkouni Ioanna , Tzanatou Amalia , Tourtidou Calliroe , Avgerinos Peter C
Published: February 2020

Diffuse thickening, a layered appearance of the gallbladder wall and the accumulation of surrounding fluid are considered as sensitive and relatively specific imaging findings of gallbladder inflammation. In the absence of gallstones, the diagnosis of acalculous cholecystitis can be further supported by the presence of fever, epigastric pain, right upper abdominal quadrant (RUQ) tenderness on inspiration and elevated markers of inflammation. In this report, we describe a 35-year-old schoolteacher who presented with all of the above clinical, laboratory and imaging findings that were eventually attributed to gallbladder oedema and liver congestion (abdominal imaging and RUQ tenderness) caused by an atrial myxoma interfering, with the atrioventricular circulation of the right heart and causing constitutional manifestations (fever and elevated markers of inflammation).
Global Health with Justice: Controlling the Floodgates of the Upstream Determinants of Health through Evidence-Based Law
Authors: Coggon John , Gostin Lawrence O
Published: February 2020

This article introduces a special issue on the legal determinants of health, following the publication of the Lancet–O’Neill Institute of Georgetown University Commission’s report on the subject. We contextualize legal determinants as a significant and vital aspect of the social determinants of health, explain the work of the Lancet–O’Neill Commission and outline where consequent research will usefully be directed. We also introduce the papers that follow in the special issue, which together set out in greater detail the work of the Commission and critically engage with different aspects of the report and the application of its findings and recommendations.
Reforms and Redistribution: Disentangling the Egoistic and Sociotropic Origins of Voter Preferences
Authors: Bechtel Michael M , Liesch Roman
Published: February 2020

The economic effects of policy options help explain why individuals support some reforms while they oppose others. However, disentangling the egoistic and sociotropic origins of voter preferences has proven difficult. We conduct an experiment that details how a reform affects one’s personal income, the average income in the country, and different income groups. The results suggest that the causal effect of personal income changes on reform support is about twice the size of changes in a country’s income average. Voters specifically care about how reforms impact the poor, and this prosocial concern depends neither on their own income level nor on how a policy will affect them personally. These patterns characterize how voters evaluate the redistributive effects of generic economic policies, health care reforms, trade-policy decisions, and the policy platforms of candidates running for office.
Hard Marriage with Heavy Burdens: Organized Labor as Takeover Deterrents
Authors: Tian Xuan , Wang Wenyu
Published: February 2020

We examine how labor power affects a firm’s takeover exposure and merger gains. Using a regression discontinuity design that relies on “locally” exogenous variation in labor power generated by close-call union elections, we find that increased labor power significantly reduces a firm’s takeover exposure, reduces target offer premium and announcement returns, and prolongs deal completion duration. The results are stronger for more powerful and conflict-provoking unions. Bidders of unionized targets are experienced, are tough negotiators, and face fewer union threats by themselves. Our paper provides new insights into the real effects of shareholder-employee conflict regarding the market for corporate control. (JEL G34, G30, J51)

Received: February 9, 2019; editorial decision January 15, 2020 by Editor Isil Erel. Authors have furnished an Internet Appendix, which is available on the Oxford University Press Web site next to the link to the final published paper online.
The Pasts, Presents and Futures of AIDS, Norway (1983–1996)
Authors: Slagstad Ketil
Published: February 2020

This article explores the Norwegian AIDS epidemic from a temporal perspective. It argues that interrogating the epidemic’s tempos and rhythms provides useful tools in writing the history of an epidemic by drawing on a wide array of material from its first decade. By using various theories of temporality and chronology, this article maps out three phases of the Norwegian AIDS epidemic. In the first phase (1983–85), the emergence of the first cases of AIDS threw the positive perception of medicine’s past into question and fundamentally challenged the notion of incessant medical progress. In the second phase (1985–87), as grim epidemiological prognoses were created and the general population was increasingly targeted, panic grew across Norwegian society. In the third phase (1987–96), as it was slowly realised that the initial prognoses would not materialise, the epidemic faded from the public imagination. With the unremembering of AIDS, HIV was turned into a chronic disease. The article argues that analysing past temporalities, like past pasts and past futures, provides insights into the presents of the past.
Arsenic Stimulates Myoblast Mitochondrial Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor to Impair Myogenesis
Authors: Cheikhi Amin , Anguiano Teresa , Lasak Jane , Qian Baoli , Sahu Amrita , Mimiya Hikaru , Cohen Charles C , Wipf Peter , Ambrosio Fabrisia , Barchowsky Aaron
Published: February 2020

Arsenic exposure impairs muscle metabolism, maintenance, progenitor cell differentiation, and regeneration following acute injury. Low to moderate arsenic exposures target muscle fiber and progenitor cell mitochondria to epigenetically decrease muscle quality and regeneration. However, the mechanisms for how low levels of arsenic signal for prolonged mitochondrial dysfunction are not known. In this study, arsenic attenuated murine C2C12 myoblasts differentiation and resulted in abnormal undifferentiated myoblast proliferation. Arsenic prolonged ligand-independent phosphorylation of mitochondrially localized epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a major driver of proliferation. Treating cells with a selective EGFR kinase inhibitor, AG-1478, prevented arsenic inhibition of myoblast differentiation. AG-1478 decreased arsenic-induced colocalization of pY845EGFR with mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit II, as well as arsenic-enhanced mitochondrial membrane potential, reactive oxygen species generation, and cell cycling. All of the arsenic effects on mitochondrial signaling and cell fate were mitigated or reversed by addition of mitochondrially targeted agents that restored mitochondrial integrity and function. Thus, arsenic-driven pathogenesis in skeletal muscle requires sustained mitochondrial EGFR activation that promotes progenitor cell cycling and proliferation at the detriment of proper differentiation. Collectively, these findings suggest that the arsenic-activated mitochondrial EGFR pathway drives pathogenic signaling for impaired myoblast metabolism and function.
Embryo transcriptome and miRNA analyses reveal the regulatory network of seed dormancy in Ginkgo biloba
Authors: Jia Zhichao , Zhao Beibei , Liu Sian , Lu Zhaogeng , Chang Bang , Jiang Huiru , Cui Hui , He Qingsong , Li Weixing , Jin Biao , Wang Li
Published: February 2020

Seed dormancy is crucial for plant survival and prevents seed germination out of season. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism of morphophysiological seed dormancy. Ginkgo biloba L. is one of the most ancient gymnosperms, and the completion of seed germination in this species requires cold and moist stratification. Here, we observed that at the mature seed stage, the embryo was not fully developed in G. biloba seeds. During dormancy stages, the length and weight of the embryo significantly increased, and nutrients accumulated in cotyledons. We further found that abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA), cytokinin and ethylene were integrated in the seed dormancy induction, maintenance and release processes, and GA biosynthesis and signaling transduction specifically act on dormancy release. Combining mRNA and miRNA analyses, we demonstrated that miRNA156 is involved in the regulation of morphophysiological dormancy. Our analyses revealed that G. biloba seed dormancy belongs to the ancestral morphophysiological dormancy type, which is not only regulated by the balance of ABA/GA, but also by other hormones associated with embryo morphological development, as well as genes related to embryo differentiation and development. These findings helped with elucidating the comprehensive regulatory network of morphophysiological dormancy in tree seeds.
Toward a resolution of the cosmopolitanBotryllus schlosserispecies complex (Ascidiacea, Styelidae): mitogenomics and morphology of clade E (Botryllus gaiae)
Authors: Brunetti Riccardo , Griggio Francesca , Mastrototaro Francesco , Gasparini Fabio , Gissi Carmela
Published: February 2020

Botryllus schlosseri is a model colonial ascidian and a marine invader. It is currently recognized as a species complex comprising five genetically divergent clades, with clade A globally distributed and clade E found only in Europe. This taxon has also been recently redescribed by designation of a clade A specimen as the neotype. To clarify the taxonomic status of clade E and its relationship to clade A, we examine the entire mitochondrial genome and study the morphology of clade E. The mitogenome of clade E has an identical gene order to clade A, but substantially differs in the size of several non-coding regions. Remarkably, the nucleotide divergence of clade A-clade E is incompatible with the intraspecies ascidian divergence, but similar to the congeneric one and almost identical to the divergence between species once considered morphologically indistinguishable (e.g. the pair Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767)-Ciona robusta Hoshino & Tokioka, 1967, and the pair Botrylloides niger Herdman, 1886-Botrylloides leachii (Savigny, 1816)). Clade E differs morphologically from the Botryllus schlosseri neotype mainly in the number and appearance of the stomach folds, and the shape of the anal opening, the first intestinal loop and the typhlosole. Our integrative taxonomical approach clearly distinguishes clade E as a species separate from Botryllus schlosseri, with unique morphological and molecular characters. Therefore, we here describe clade E as the new species Botryllus gaiae sp. nov.
Inhibition of Sphingosine Kinase 1 Attenuates Sepsis-induced Microvascular Leakage via Inhibiting Macrophage NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation in Mice
Authors: Zhong Ming , Wu Wei , Wang Yingqin , Mao Hailei , Song Jieqiong , Chen Song , Zhu Duming
Published: February 2020

Background

Sepsis is the overwhelming inflammatory response to infection, in which nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor containing pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome plays a crucial role. Shingosine-1-phosphate is reported to evoke NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is the major kinase that catalyzes bioactive lipid shingosine-1–phosphate formation and its role in sepsis remains uncertain. The authors hypothesize that SphK1 elicits NLRP3 inflammasome activation and exacerbates sepsis.

Methods

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated from septic patients and healthy volunteers to measure messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. In mice, sepsis was induced by cecal ligation and puncture. Bone marrow–derived macrophages were prepared from C57BL/6J wild-type, Casp1
−/−, Nlrp3
−/− and SphK1
−/− mice. PF-543 was used as the specific inhibitor of SphK1. Mortality, peripheral perfusion, lung Evan’s blue dye index, lung wet/dry ratio, lung injury score, lung myeloperoxidase activity, NLRP3 activation, and function of endothelial adherens junction were measured.

Results

SphK1 mRNA expression was higher in cells from septic patients versus healthy volunteers (septic patients vs. healthy volunteers: 50.9 ± 57.0 fold change vs. 1.2 ± 0.1 fold change, P < 0.0001) and was positively correlated with IL-1β mRNA expression in these cells (r = 0.537, P = 0.012) and negatively correlated with PaO2/Fio
2 ratios (r = 0.516, P = 0.017). In mice that had undergone cecal ligation and puncture, the 5-day mortality was 30% in PF-543–treated group and 80% in control group (n = 10 per group, P = 0.028). Compared with controls, PF-543–treated mice demonstrated improved peripheral perfusion and alleviated extravascular Evan’s blue dye effusion (control vs. PF-543: 25.5 ± 3.2 ng/g vs. 18.2 ± 1.4 ng/g, P < 0.001), lower lung wet/dry ratio (control vs. PF-543: 8.0 ± 0.2 vs. 7.1 ± 0.4, P < 0.0001), descending lung injury score, and weaker lung myeloperoxidase activity. Inhibition of SphK1 suppressed caspase-1 maturation and interleukin-1β release through repressing NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and subsequently stabilized vascular endothelial cadherin through suppressing interleukin-1β–evoked Src-mediated phosphorylation of vascular endothelial cadherin.

Conclusions

SphK1 plays a crucial role in NLRP3 inflammasome activation and contributes to lung injury and mortality in mice polymicrobial sepsis.

Editor’s Perspective

What We Already Know about This Topic

What This Article Tells Us That Is New
Organizational and environmental factors associated with local multihospital systems: Precipitants for coordination?
Authors: Shay Patrick D.
Published: February 2020

Background

Local multihospital systems (LMSs) commonly struggle to effectively coordinate across system members. Although a recent taxonomy of LMSs found the majority of systems to display lower levels of differentiation, integration, and coordination, some categories of LMS forms exhibited higher levels of integration and coordination.

Purpose

This study examines organizational and environmental factors associated with LMS forms displaying higher levels of integration and coordination.

Methodology/Approach

Applying a multitheoretical framework and drawing from sources including the American Hospital Association Annual Survey, Intellimed databases, and primary data collected from LMS communications, descriptive and multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between LMS forms and varied organizational and environmental characteristics among LMSs in Florida, Maryland, Nevada, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

Results

The results of analysis of variance, Games–Howell, and Fisher’s exact tests identified significant relationships between each of the five LMS categories and varying market, competitive, organizational, and operational factors. A multinomial logistic regression analysis also distinguished the three most common LMS forms according to organizational and environmental factors.

Conclusion

Recognizing the varied degrees of integration and coordination across LMSs today, the results point to several factors that may explain such variation, including market size and resources, local competitors and their forms, organizational size and ownership, patient complexity, and regulatory restrictions.

Practice Implications

With the continued promotion and development of innovative health care reform models and with the progressing expansion of care into outpatient sites and diverse settings, LMSs will continue to face greater pressure to integrate and coordinate services throughout the continuum of care across system components and service locations. Navigating the challenges of effective coordination requires administrators and policymakers to be cognizant of the organizational and environmental factors that may hinder or fuel coordination efforts across system components in local markets.