bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous Tracheostomy Can be Safely Performed in Patients with Uncorrected Coagulopathy after Cardiothoracic Surgery
Authors: Takahashi Mitsuko , Itagaki Shinobu , Laskaris Jessica , Filsoufi Farzan , Reddy Ramachandra C.
Published: February 2014

Objective

It is a common situation after cardiothoracic surgery that a tracheostomy is required for patients who are coagulopathic or on therapeutic anticoagulation. We present our results of percutaneous tracheostomy with uncorrected coagulopathy.

Methods

Between 2007 and 2012, a total of 149 patients in our Cardiothoracic Surgical Intensive Care Unit underwent percutaneous tracheostomy using the Ciaglia Blue Rhino system (Cook Medical, Bloomington, IN USA). The patients were divided into coagulopathic (platelets, ≤50,000; international normalized ratio of prothrombin time, ≥1.5; and/or partial thromboplastin time, ≥50) and noncoagulopathic groups. Coagulopathy, if present before percutaneous tracheostomy, was not routinely corrected.

Results

A total of 75 patients (49%) were coagulopathic. Twenty-one patients (14%) had two or more criteria. The coagulopathic patients had a lower platelet count [108 (106) vs 193 (111) (thousands), P < 0.001], with the lowest of 10; higher international normalized ratio of prothrombin time [1.7 (0.6) vs 1.2 (0.1), P < 0.001], with the highest of 5.3; longer partial thromboplastin time [40 (13) vs 33 (7) seconds, P < 0.001], with the longest of 85; and higher total bilirubin [4.6 (7.3) vs 1.9 (3.3) mg/dL, P = 0.005]. Patient demographics and comorbidities were comparable between the groups. No patients had overt bleeding. One coagulopathic patient (1.3%) had clinical oozing treated with packing, as opposed to zero in the noncoagulopathic patients ( P = 1.00). There were no patients with posttracheostomy mediastinitis or late tracheal stenosis.

Conclusions

Uncorrected coagulopathy and therapeutic anticoagulation did not increase bleeding risk for percutaneous tracheostomy in our cardiothoracic surgical patients.
Analysis of two phase flow in liquid oxygen hybrid journal bearings for rocket engine turbopumps
Authors: Guoyuan Zhang , Xiu-Tian Yan
Published: February 2014

Purpose

– A hybrid bearing of advanced cryogenic rocket engine turbopump is designed. For cryogenic fluid propellants (such as liquid oxygen) as the lubrication of bearing, bearings operating close to liquid-vapor region (near the critical point or slightly sub-cooled) are likely to develop a two phase flow region. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

– In this paper, an all liquid, liquid-vapor mixture, and all vapor, i.e. a continuous vaporization bulk flow model of density and viscosity for mixture fluid, is presented, and the general Reynolds equation and energy equation with two phase flow as lubricants is solved. The static and dynamic performance of a 50-mm-radius hybrid bearing are obtained under 20,000 rpm speed and 10 MPa supply pressure.

Findings

– The results show that the variations of performance of bearing operating under cryogenic liquid oxygen are not bounded by the all liquid and all vapor cases in the liquid-vapor mixture range. There behaviours are attributed to the large change in the compressibility character of the flow.

Research limitations/implications

– For validating the correctness of analytical model, an experimental study on the liquid-vapor nitrogen mixture lubricated hybrid journal bearings is being carried out where low-viscosity nitrogen was selected as the lubricant for the sake of safety. Soon after, the authors will discuss the results and publish them in the new papers.

Originality/value

– An all liquid, liquid-vapor mixture, and all vapor, i.e. a continuous vaporization bulk flow model of density and viscosity for mixture fluid, is presented. The static and dynamic performance of hybrid bearings with two phase flow as lubricants are obtained.
Predictors of malaria infection in a wild bird population: landscape‐level analyses reveal climatic and anthropogenic factors
Authors: Gonzalez‐Quevedo Catalina , Davies Richard G. , Richardson David S.
Published: February 2014

How the environment influences the transmission and prevalence of disease in a population of hosts is a key aspect of disease ecology. The role that environmental factors play in host–pathogen systems has been well studied at large scales, that is, differences in pathogen pressures among separate populations of hosts or across land masses. However, despite considerable understanding of how environmental conditions vary at fine spatial scales, the effect of these parameters on host–pathogen dynamics at such scales has been largely overlooked.

Here, we used a combination of molecular screening andGIS‐based analysis to investigate how environmental factors determine the distribution of malaria across the landscape in a population of Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii, Bolle 1862) on the island of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain) using spatially explicit models that account for spatial autocorrelation.

Minimum temperature of the coldest month was found to be the most important predictor of malaria infection at the landscape scale across this population. Additionally, anthropogenic factors such as distance to artificial water reservoirs and distance to poultry farms were important predictors of malaria. A model including these factors, and the interaction between distance to artificial water reservoirs and minimum temperature, best explained the distribution of malaria infection in this system.

These results suggest that levels of malaria infection in this endemic species may be artificially elevated by the impact of humans.

Studies such as the one described here improve our understanding of how environmental factors, and their heterogeneity, affect the distribution of pathogens within wild populations. The results demonstrate the importance of measuring fine‐scale variation – and not just regional effects – to understand how environmental variation can influence wildlife diseases. Such understanding is important for predicting the future spread and impact of disease and may help inform disease management programmes as well as the conservation of specific host species.
The long‐term dynamics of Campylobacter colonizing a free‐range broiler breeder flock: an observational study
Authors: Colles Frances M. , McCarthy Noel D. , Bliss Carly M. , Layton Ruth , Maiden Martin C. J.
Published: February 2014

A free‐range broiler breeder flock was studied in order to determine the natural patterns of Campylobacter colonization over a period of 63 weeks. Campylobacter sequence types (STs) were not mutually exclusive and on average colonized only 17.7% of the birds tested at any time. Campylobacter STs typically reached a peak in prevalence upon initial detection in the flock before tailing off, although the ST and antigenic flaA short variable region in combination were stable over a number of months. There was evidence that, with a couple of exceptions, the ecology of C. jejuni and C. coli differed, with the latter forming a more stable population. Despite being free range, no newly colonizing STs were detected over a 6‐week period in autumn and a 10‐week period in winter, towards the end of the study. There was limited evidence that those STs identified among broiler chicken flocks on the same farm site were likely to colonize the breeder flock earlier (R2 0.16, P 0.01). These results suggest that there is natural control of Campylobacter dynamics within a flock which could potentially be exploited in designing new intervention strategies, and that the two different species should perhaps be considered separately.
Elucidation of sevadicin, a novel non‐ribosomal peptide secondary metabolite produced by the honey bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae
Authors: Garcia‐Gonzalez Eva , Müller Sebastian , Ensle Paul , Süssmuth Roderich D. , Genersch Elke
Published: February 2014

American foulbrood (AFB) caused by the bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the most devastating bacterial disease of honey bees worldwide. From AFB‐dead larvae, pure cultures of P. larvae can normally be cultivated indicating that P. larvae is able to defend its niche against all other bacteria present. Recently, comparative genome analysis within the species P. larvae suggested the presence of gene clusters coding for multi‐enzyme complexes, such as non‐ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). The products of these enzyme complexes are known to have a wide range of biological activities including antibacterial activities. We here present our results on antibacterial activity exhibited by vegetative P. larvae and the identification and analysis of a novel antibacterially active P. larvae tripeptide (called sevadicin; Sev) produced by a NRPS encoded by a gene cluster found in the genome of P. larvae. Identification of Sev was ultimately achieved by comparing the secretome of wild‐type P. larvae with knockout mutants of P. larvae lacking production of Sev. Subsequent mass spectrometric studies, enantiomer analytics and chemical synthesis revealed the sequence and configuration of the tripeptide, D‐Phe‐D‐ALa‐Trp, which was shown to have antibacterial activity. The relevance of our findings is discussed in respect to host–pathogen interactions.
The Yersinia pestis HmsCDE regulatory system is essential for blockage of the oriental rat flea (Xenopsylla cheopis), a classic plague vector
Authors: Bobrov Alexander G. , Kirillina Olga , Vadyvaloo Viveka , Koestler Benjamin J. , Hinz Angela K. , Mack Dietrich , Waters Christopher M. , Perry Robert D.
Published: February 2014

The second messenger molecule cyclic diguanylate is essential for Yersinia pestis biofilm formation that is important for blockage‐dependent plague transmission from fleas to mammals. Two diguanylate cyclases (DGCs) HmsT and Y3730 (HmsD) are responsible for biofilm formation in vitro and biofilm‐dependent blockage in the oriental rat flea Xenopsylla cheopis respectively. Here, we have identified a tripartite signalling system encoded by the y3729‐y3731 operon that is responsible for regulation of biofilm formation in different environments. We present genetic evidence that a putative inner membrane‐anchored protein with a large periplasmic domain Y3729 (HmsC) inhibits HmsD DGC activity in vitro while an outer membrane Pal‐like putative lipoprotein Y3731 (HmsE) counteracts HmsC to activate HmsD in the gut of X. cheopis. We propose that HmsE is a critical element in the transduction of environmental signal(s) required for HmsD‐dependent biofilm formation.
Quorum sensing positively regulates flagellar motility in pathogenic Vibrio harveyi
Authors: Yang Qian , Defoirdt Tom
Published: February 2014

Vibrios belonging to the Harveyi clade are among the major pathogens of aquatic organisms. Quorum sensing (QS) is essential for virulence of V. harveyi towards different hosts. However, most virulence factors reported to be controlled by QS to date are negatively regulated by QS, therefore suggesting that their impact on virulence is limited. In this study, we report that QS positively regulates flagellar motility. We found that autoinducer synthase mutants showed significantly lower swimming motility than the wild type, and the swimming motility could be restored by adding synthetic signal molecules. Further, motility of a luxO mutant with inactive QS (LuxO D47E) was significantly lower than that of the wild type and of a luxO mutant with constitutively maximal QS activity (LuxO D47A). Furthermore, we found that the expression of flagellar genes (both early, middle and late genes) was significantly lower in the luxO mutant with inactive QS when compared with wild type and the luxO mutant with maximal QS activity. Motility assays and gene expression also revealed the involvement of the quorum‐sensing master regulator LuxR in the QS regulation of motility. Finally, the motility inhibitor phenamil significantly decreased the virulence of V. harveyi towards gnotobiotic brine shrimp larvae.
Trichodesmium's strategies to alleviate phosphorus limitation in the future acidified oceans
Authors: Spungin Dina , Berman‐Frank Ilana , Levitan Orly
Published: February 2014

Global warming may exacerbate inorganic nutrient limitation, including phosphorus (P), in the surface‐waters of tropical oceans that are home to extensive blooms of the marine diazotrophic cyanobacterium,Trichodesmium. We examined the combined effects ofPlimitation andpCO2, forecast under ocean acidification scenarios, onTrichodesmium erythraeum IMS101 cultures. We measured nitrogen acquisition, glutamine synthetase activity,Cuptake rates, intracellular Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) concentration and the pool sizes of related key proteins. Here, we present data supporting the idea that cellular energy re‐allocation enables the higher growth andN2fixation rates detected inTrichodesmiumcultured under highpCO2. This is reflected in altered protein abundance and metabolic pools. Also modified are particulate organic carbon and nitrogen production rates, enzymatic activities, and cellularATPconcentrations. We suggest that adjusting these cellular pathways to changing environmental conditions enablesTrichodesmiumto compensate for lowPavailability and to thrive in acidified oceans. Moreover, elevatedpCO2could provideTrichodesmiumwith a competitive dominance that would extend its niche, particularly inP‐limited regions of the tropical and subtropical oceans.
The fibre‐associated cellulolytic bacterial community in the hindgut of wood‐feeding higher termites (Nasutitermes spp.)
Authors: Mikaelyan Aram , Strassert Jürgen F. H. , Tokuda Gaku , Brune Andreas
Published: February 2014

Termites digest lignocellulose with the help of their symbiotic gut microbiota. In the hindgut of evolutionary lower termites, a dense community of cellulolytic flagellates sequesters wood particles from the hindgut content into their digestive vacuoles. In higher termites (family Termitidae), which possess an entirely prokaryotic microbiota, the wood particles are available for bacterial colonization. Substantial particle‐associated cellulase activities have been detected in the hindgut of Nasutitermes species, but the microorganisms responsible for these activities and their potential association with the wood fibres remain to be studied. Here, we used density‐gradient centrifugation to separate wood fibres and adherent bacterial cells from cells freely suspended in the hindgut fluid. In Nasutitermes corniger, the fibre fraction contained 28% of the DNA and 45% of the cellulase activity in the luminal contents (P3 region). Community fingerprinting (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) and pyrotag sequencing analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes demonstrated that the wood fibres in the hindgut of both N. corniger and N. takasagoensis are specifically colonized by members of Fibrobacteres, the TG3 phylum, and certain lineages of Spirochaetes characteristic of the gut microbiota of wood‐feeding higher termites. We propose that the loss of flagellates in higher termites provided a new niche for fibre‐associated cellulolytic bacteria.
Incident Command System in China: Development and Dilemmas Evidence from Comparison of Two Cases
Authors: Zhang Meilian , She Lian
Published: February 2014

Unlike many western countries, China is absolutely a freshman in emergency management and newly starts to set up Incident Command Systems (ICS) suitable for national situations by learning from those of America gradually. According to comparison of two cases, Gas Blowout Accident in 2003 and Yushu Earthquake in 2010, this article presents the development of ICS in last decade of China, shows some dilemmas it confronted and reveals the reasons we need to make standardization of ICS of our priority as well.
A Polydrug Intoxication Involving Methoxetamine in a Drugs and Driving Case
Authors: Elian Albert A. , Hackett Jeffery
Published: February 2014

Methoxetamine ((RS)2‐(3‐methoxyphenyl)‐2‐(ethylamino)cyclohexanone)) is becoming a drug of interest among practitioners of forensic toxicology. In this case report, we describe the case background, standard field sobriety tests, sampling, and analysis of this drug in a whole blood sample as well as screening methods and analysis from a driver operating under the influence of intoxicating substances. Methoxetamine was isolated from the blood sample using mixed mode solid phase extraction. After elution and evaporation, the residue was dissolved in mobile phase (consisting of acetonitrile and aqueous formic acid) for analysis by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The case sample was found to contain clonazepam, 7‐aminoclonazepam, carboxy‐THC, Ddphenhydramine, and MDMA. The case sample was found to contain 10 ng/mL of the drug (methoxetamine) in whole blood. The results of this drug analysis and previous analyses are discussed in terms of this driver operating under the influence of drugs.
Endoscopic balloon dilatation for benign esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection for early esophageal neoplasms
Authors: Lian Jing Jing , Ma Li Li , Hu Jian Wei , Chen Shi Yao , Qin Wen Zheng , Xu Mei Dong , Zhou Ping Hong , Yao Li Qing
Published: February 2014

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD) for benign esophageal strictures after ESD for early esophageal neoplasms.

Methods

Data of 335 patients who were treated with ESD for early esophageal neoplasms from October 2006 to August 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. The characteristics of the patients who underwent EBD for post‐ESD stricture were analyzed.

Results

A total of 117 dilatation procedures were performed in 29 patients with post‐ESD esophageal stricture. The mean number of EBD sessions was 4.0 (range 1–15) and no complications occurred during the procedures. The median follow‐up period for the 29 patients since their last session of EBD was 20 months (range 1–48 months). Of the 28 patients who were followed up for more than 3 months after achieving dysphagia relief, two had recurrent dysphasia and EBD was reintroduced. The treatment success rate was 92.9% (26/28).

Conclusion

EBD is a safe and effective modality for the treatment of benign esophageal stricture after ESD for early esophageal neoplasms.
Lung function and metabolic syndrome: Findings of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010 肺功能与代谢综合征：2007–2010全国健康与营养调查研究结果
Authors: Ford Earl S. , Cunningham Timothy J. , Mercado Carla I.
Published: February 2014

Background

Considerable uncertainty remains about obstructive lung function (OLF) in adults with metabolic syndrome (MetS). The aim of the present study was to examine pulmonary function status in adults with and without MetS.

Methods

We used data from 3109 participants aged ≥20 years of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2010. Subjects' MetS status was established on the basis of the 2009 harmonizing definition. Participants received spirometry.

Results

After age adjustment, 79.3% (SE 1.1) of participants with MetS had normal lung function, 8.7% (0.9) had restrictive lung function (RLF), 7.1% (0.8) had mild OLF, and 4.8% (0.6) had moderate OLF or worse. Among participants without MetS, these estimates were 78.7% (1.2), 3.9% (0.6), 10.9% (1.1), and 6.4% (0.8), respectively. After multiple adjustment, participants with MetS were more likely to have RLF (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 2.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.67, 2.90) and less likely to have any OLF (aPR 0.73; 95% CI 0.62, 0.86) than those without MetS. Furthermore, participants with MetS had lower mean levels of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), FEV1 % predicted, forced vital capacity (FVC), and FVC % predicted, but a higher FEV1/FVC ratio than participants without MetS. Mean levels of FEV1, FEV1 % predicted, FVC, and FVC % predicted declined significantly, but not the FEV1/FVC ratio, as the number of components increased.

Conclusions

Compared with adults without MetS, spirometry is more likely to show a restrictive pattern and less likely to show an obstructive pattern among adults with MetS.
Association between sleep architecture and glucose tolerance in children and adolescents 儿童及青少年的睡眠结构与糖耐量的关系
Authors: Zhu Yin , Li Albert Martin , Au Chun Ting , Kong Alice Pik Shan , Zhang Jihui , Wong Chun Kwok , Chan Juliana Chung Ngor , Wing Yun Kwok
Published: February 2014

Background

Short sleep duration is a contributing factor for decreased insulin sensitivity and hyperglycemia. Sleep architecture represents a cyclical pattern of sleep that shifts between sleep Stages N1, N2, N3 (slow wave sleep) and Stage R (rapid eye movement sleep). The aim of the present study was to examine the association between sleep architecture and glucose and insulin metabolism in both normal weight and overweight/obese children and adolescents.

Methods

A total of 118 subjects participated in the study. Subjects underwent overnight polysomnography (PSG) when the percentage of total sleep time (% TST) spent at each sleep stage was recorded and an oral glucose tolerance test together was performed the next morning. We assessed glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and pancreatic β‐cell function using 2‐h glucose levels, the Matsuda index (ISOGTT), and insulin secretion‐sensitivity index‐2 (ISSI‐2), respectively.

Results

After adjustment for age, gender, body mass index z‐score, pubertal status, and obstructive apnea hypopnea index, Stage N3 (% TST) was positively associated with ISOGTT, whereas Stage N1 (%TST) exerted an opposite effect on ISOGTT. Higher sleep efficiency and longer TST were independently associated with lower 2‐h glucose levels, higher ISSI‐2 and/or higher ISOGTT.

Conclusions

Stage N3, sleep efficiency and TST were protective factors in maintaining glucose and insulin homeostasis; however, Stage N1 functioned in the opposite direction.
Stereoscopy in diagnostic radiology and procedure planning: Does stereoscopic assessment of volume‐rendered CT angiograms lead to more accurate characterisation of cerebral aneurysms compared with traditional monoscopic viewing?
Authors: Stewart Nikolas , Lock Gregory , Hopcraft Anthony , Kanesarajah Jeeva , Coucher John
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Stereoscopic vision is a critical part of the human visual system, conveying more information than two‐dimensional, monoscopic observation alone. This study aimed to quantify the contribution of stereoscopy in assessment of radiographic data, using widely available three‐dimensional (3D)‐capable display monitors by assessing whether stereoscopic viewing improved the characterisation of cerebral aneurysms.

Methods

Nine radiology registrars were shown 40 different volume‐rendered (VR) models of cerebral computed tomography angiograms (CTAs), each in both monoscopic and stereoscopic format and then asked to record aneurysm characteristics on short multiple‐choice answer sheets. The monitor used was a current model commercially available 3D television. Responses were marked against a gold standard of assessments made by a consultant radiologist, using the original CT planar images on a diagnostic radiology computer workstation.

Results

The participants' results were fairly homogenous, with most showing no difference in diagnosis using stereoscopic VR models. One participant performed better on the monoscopic VR models. On average, monoscopic VRs achieved a slightly better diagnosis by 2.0%.

Conclusions

Stereoscopy has a long history, but it has only recently become technically feasible for stored cross‐sectional data to be adequately reformatted and displayed in this format. Scant literature exists to quantify the technology's possible contribution to medical imaging – this study attempts to build on this limited knowledge base and promote discussion within the field. Stereoscopic viewing of images should be further investigated and may well eventually find a permanent place in procedural and diagnostic medical imaging.
Inhibition of Coagulation Factor Xa Improves Myocardial Function During CVB3‐Induced Myocarditis
Authors: Malz Ronny , Weithauser Alice , Tschöpe Carsten , Schultheiss Heinz‐Peter , Rauch Ursula
Published: February 2014

Introduction

Myocarditis is induced by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3). Myocardial inflammation is tied to the activation of coagulation. Coagulation factor (F) Xa, a central player in coagulation, activates matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), which modulate the remodeling.

Aims

In this study, we investigated the effects of pharmacological FXa inhibition on myocardial function, inflammation, and remodeling during a CVB3‐induced myocarditis.

Methods and Results

Immune cells and matrix proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry. The expression of cytokines was measured by real‐time PCR and the activity of MMP‐2 by zymography. Left ventricular function was analyzed using microconductance pressure catheter. Treatment with the FXa inhibitor fondaparinux led to an improved left ventricular function in CVB3‐induced mice compared to saline‐treated controls (dPdtmax: fondaparinux 4632 ± 499.6 vs. saline 3131 ± 374.0 [mmHg/s], P = 0.0503; SV: fondaparinux 33.19 ± 4.893 vs. saline 19.32 ± 2.236 [μL], P < 0.118; CO: fondaparinux 15124 ± 2183 vs. saline 8088 ± 1035 [μL/min], P < 0.05). Therapy with fondaparinux reduced the activity of MMP‐2 (fondaparinux 1.208 ± 0.1247 vs. saline 1.565 ± 0.05476, P < 0.05). The collagen type I/III ratio as well as the expression of TIMP‐1 was comparable in both infection groups postinfectionem (p.i.), despite an increased infiltration of macrophages into the hearts of mice treated with fondaparinux 8 days p.i. (CD68+: fondaparinux 494.2 ± 64.73 vs. saline 306.9 ± 43.73 [cells/mm2], P < 0.05). Anti‐inflammatory CD206‐positive M2‐type macrophages were increased in the infected hearts after fondaparinux treatment (CD206+: fondaparinux 182.1 ± 18.18 vs. saline 111.6 ± 21.07 [cells/mm2], P < 0.05), whereas CD80‐positive M1‐type macrophages were comparable in both groups.

Conclusion

In conclusion, selective inhibition of FXa improves the left ventricular function during CVB3‐induced myocarditis and seems to be associated with an improved myocardial remodeling.
Clinical and immunological pattern of systemic lupus erythematosus in men in a cohort of 2355 patients
Authors: Faezi Seyedeh Tahereh , Hosseini Almodarresi Mahdieh , Akbarian Mahmood , Gharibdoost Farhad , Akhlaghi Masoumeh , Jamshidi Ahamadreza , Shahram Farhad , Nadji Abdolhadi , Shafaie Nahid , Akhlaghkhah Maryam , Paragomi Pedram , Davatchi Fereydoun
Published: February 2014

Aim

To investigate the impact of gender on expression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a cohort of 2355 SLE patients as one of the largest series of cases among the present reports.

Method

In this retrospective study we used medical records of all patients (239 male and 2116 female) of the SLE registry of Rheumatology Research Center (RRC), Tehran University of Medical science (TUMS), Iran. Both clinical and paraclinical manifestations of SLE patients have been registered in this database since 1976 and updated during their follow‐up. Chi‐square test was used to compare the clinical and paraclinical manifestations in men and women at disease onset and during the disease course. We used logistic regression to compute odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. A P‐value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results

Mean age at disease onset was 25 ± 11.8 and 24.5 ± 10.3 years in men and women, respectively (P = 0.48). Comparison of clinical and immunological manifestations showed that male patients had a higher prevalence of mucocutaneous (43.5% vs. 33.7%, P = 0.005) and a lower prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms (44% vs. 54.7%, P = 0.003) as the initial manifestation. During the disease course, discoid rash (25.9% vs. 13%, P = 0.000) and type IV lupus nephritis (23.4% vs. 18.1%, P = 0.03) were significantly more common, whereas arthritis (61.1% vs. 71.7%, P = 0.01) and leukopenia (28.5% vs. 35.8%, P = 0.024) were significantly less common in men.

Conclusion

This study reveals gender influence on some manifestations of SLE. Considering sex differences is recommended in diagnostic and therapeutic features of the disease.
Interactions between the tropical sea anemone Aiptasia pallida and Serratia marcescens, an opportunistic pathogen of corals
Authors: Krediet Cory J. , Meyer Julie L. , Gimbrone Nicholas , Yanong Roy , Berzins Ilze , Alagely Ali , Castro Herman , Ritchie Kim B. , Paul Valerie J. , Teplitski Max
Published: February 2014

Coral reefs are under increasing stress caused by global and local environmental changes, which are thought to increase the susceptibility of corals to opportunistic pathogens. In the absence of an easily culturable model animal, the understanding of the mechanisms of disease progression in corals remains fairly limited. In the present study, we tested the susceptibility of the tropical sea anemone Aiptasia pallida to an opportunistic coral pathogen (Serratia marcescens). A. pallida was susceptible to S. marcescens PDL100 and responded to this opportunistic coral pathogen with darkening of the tissues and retraction of tentacles, followed by complete disintegration of polyp tissues. Histological observations revealed loss of zooxanthellae and structural changes in eosinophilic granular cells in response to pathogen infection. A screen of S. marcescens mutants identified a motility and tetrathionate reductase mutants as defective in virulence in the A. pallida infection model. In co‐infections with the wild‐type strain, the tetrathionate reductase mutant was less fit within the surface mucopolysaccharide layer of the host coral Acropora palmata.
Enrichment of specific bacterial and eukaryotic microbes in the rhizosphere of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) through root exudates
Authors: Mao Yuejian , Li Xiangzhen , Smyth Eoghan M. , Yannarell Anthony C. , Mackie Roderick I.
Published: February 2014

Identification of microbes that actively utilize root exudates is essential to understand plant–microbe interactions. To identify active root exudate‐utilizing microorganisms associated with switchgrass – a potential bioenergy crop – plants were labelled in situ with 13CO2, and 16S and 18S rRNA genes in the 13C‐labelled rhizosphere DNA were pyrosequenced. Multi‐pulse labelling for 5 days produced detectable 13C‐DNA, which was well separated from unlabelled DNA. Methylibium from the order Burkholderiales were the most heavily labelled bacteria. Pythium, Auricularia and Galerina were the most heavily labelled eukaryotic microbes. We also identified a Glomus intraradices‐like species; Glomus members are arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that are able to colonize the switchgrass root. All of these heavily labelled microorganisms were also among the most abundant species in the rhizosphere. Species belonging to Methylibium and Pythium were the most heavily labelled and the most abundant bacteria and eukaryotes in the rhizosphere of switchgrass. Our results revealed that nearly all of the dominant rhizosphere bacterial and eukaryotic microbes were able to utilize root exudates. The enrichment of microbial species in the rhizosphere is selective and mostly due to root exudation, which functions as a nutrition source, promoting the growth of these microbes.
The c‐di‐GMP phosphodiesterase BifA regulates biofilm development in Pseudomonas putida
Authors: Jiménez‐Fernández Alicia , López‐Sánchez Aroa , Calero Patricia , Govantes Fernando
Published: February 2014

We previously showed the isolation of biofilm‐persistent Pseudomonas putida mutants that fail to undergo biofilm dispersal upon entry in stationary phase. Two such mutants were found to bear insertions in PP0914, encoding a GGDEF/EAL domain protein with high similarity to Pseudomonas aeruginosa BifA. Here we show the phenotypic characterization of a ΔbifA mutant in P. putida KT2442. This mutant displayed increased biofilm and pellicle formation, cell aggregation in liquid medium and decreased starvation‐induced biofilm dispersal relative to the wild type. Unlike its P. aeruginosa counterpart, P. putida BifA did not affect swarming motility. The hyperadherent phenotype of the ΔbifA mutant correlates with a general increase in cyclic diguanylate (c‐di‐GMP) levels, Congo Red‐binding exopolysaccharide production and transcription of the adhesin‐encoding lapA gene. Integrity of the EAL motif and a modified GGDEF motif (altered to GGDQF) were crucial for BifA activity, and c‐di‐GMP depletion by overexpression of a heterologous c‐di‐GMP phosphodiesterase in the ΔbifA mutant restored wild‐type biofilm dispersal and lapA expression. Our results indicate that BifA is a phosphodiesterase involved in the regulation of the c‐di‐GMP pool and required for the generation of the low c‐di‐GMP signal that triggers starvation‐induced biofilm dispersal.
Effect of foliar‐applied potassium silicate on coffee leaf infection by Hemileia vastatrix
Authors: Carré‐Missio V. , Rodrigues F.A. , Schurt D.A. , Resende R.S. , Souza N.F.A. , Rezende D.C. , Moreira W.R. , Zambolim L.
Published: February 2014

Coffee leaf rust, caused by Hemileia vastatrix, is the most devastating disease of coffee. Since limited information is available in the literature on silicon (Si) affecting plant diseases in coffee, this study was designed to investigate foliar application of potassium silicate (PS), a source of soluble (Si), on infection process of coffee leaf rust at the microscopic level. The foliar Si concentration for plants sprayed with water and PS has no significant difference (0.24 and 0.30 dag kg−1, respectively). X‐ray microanalysis indicated that the deposition of Si on the leaves of the plants that were sprayed with PS was greater in comparison to the leaf samples from the plants sprayed with water. Rust severity on leaves of plants sprayed with water or sprayed with PS reached 44% and 32%, respectively, at 36 days after inoculation (dai). Plates of polymerised PS were observed on the leaf surfaces of the plants sprayed with the product, in contrast to its absence on the leaf surfaces of plants sprayed with water. At 36 dai, a greater number of uredia were observed on the leaf surfaces of plants sprayed with water in comparison to the leaf surfaces of plants sprayed with PS. On fractured leaf tissues that were sprayed with PS, less fungal colonisation was observed in comparison to the leaves of plants sprayed with water. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the effect of foliar‐applied Si on the control of the coffee leaf rust development may be attributed to the physical role of the polymerised PS, its osmotic effect against urediniospores germination, or both.
Repeated stress exposure causes strain‐dependent shifts in the behavioral economics of cocaine in rats
Authors: Groblewski Peter A. , Zietz Chad , Willuhn Ingo , Phillips Paul E. M. , Chavkin Charles
Published: February 2014

Cocaine‐experienced Wistar and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats received four daily repeated forced swim stress sessions (R‐FSS), each of which preceded 4‐hour cocaine self‐administration sessions. Twenty‐four hours after the last swim stress, cocaine valuation was assessed during a single‐session threshold procedure. Prior exposure to R‐FSS significantly altered cocaine responding in Wistar, but not WKY, rats. Behavioral economic analysis of responding revealed that the Wistar rats that had received R‐FSS exhibited an increase in the maximum price that they were willing to pay for cocaine (Pmax). Pre‐treatment with the long‐lasting kappa opioid receptor (KOR) antagonist norbinaltorphimine prevented the stress‐induced increase in Pmax. Thus, R‐FSS exposure had strain‐dependent effects on cocaine responding during the threshold procedure, and the stress effects on cocaine valuation exhibited by Wistar, but not WKY, required intact KOR signaling.
Right anterior insula connectivity is important for cue‐induced craving in nicotine‐dependent smokers
Authors: Moran‐Santa Maria Megan M. , Hartwell Karen J. , Hanlon Colleen A. , Canterberry Melanie , Lematty Todd , Owens Max , Brady Kathleen T. , George Mark S.
Published: February 2014

The insula has been implicated in cue‐induced craving and relapse in nicotine‐dependent tobacco cigarette smokers. The aims of the present study were to identify brain regions that exhibit greater functional connectivity with the right anterior insula in response to smoking cues than to neutral cues and the role of functional connectivity between these regions in mediating cue‐induced craving in healthy (free of axis I psychiatric disorders) nicotine‐dependent tobacco cigarette smokers. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data were collected from 63 healthy nicotine‐dependent smokers viewing blocks of smoking and neutral cues. Craving ratings were obtained after each block. A psychophysiologic interaction approach was used to identify regions that exhibited significantly greater functional connectivity with the right anterior insula (seed) during the smoking cues than during the neutral (corrected cluster thresholding, Z > 2.3, P = 0.05). Parameter estimates of the interaction effects from each region were regressed against the mean cue‐induced craving scores. Significant task by seed interactions were observed in two clusters centered in the bilateral precuneus and left angular gyrus. The strength of connectivity between the right anterior insula and the precuneus, which is involved interoceptive processing and self‐awareness, was positively correlated with the magnitude of the craving response to the smoking cues (r2 = 0.15; P < 0.01). These data suggest that among smokers, cue‐induced craving may be a function of connectivity between two regions involved in interoception and self‐awareness. Moreover, treatment strategies that incorporate mindful attention may be effective in attenuating cue‐induced craving and relapse in nicotine‐dependent smokers.
Host plants, biology and distribution of Acraea terpsicore (Linnaeus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): a new butterfly for northern Australia with potential invasive status
Authors: Braby Michael F , Thistleton Brian M , Neal Michael J
Published: February 2014

The nymphalid butterfly Acraea terpsicore has recently become established in northern Australia where it is spreading rapidly. The immature stages are briefly described, illustrated and compared with those of A. andromacha (Fabricius, 1775) from Australia, and information on its larval food plant specificity, biology and distribution is presented. The species occurs in highly modified open areas, including suburban roadsides, disturbed grassland (i.e. cleared woodland that is regularly slashed or graded) and degraded savannah woodland where it breeds primarily on Hybanthus enneaspermus (L.) F.Muell. (Violaceae), a widespread native herb that is also used as a natural larval food plant in India, and to a lesser extent on Passiflora foetida L. (Passifloraceae), an introduced vine also used as a food plant in Indo‐China and Indonesia. Extensive laboratory larval feeding trials on Violaceae, Passifloraceae and Cucurbitaceae revealed limited ability of the Australian population to consume Passifloraceae and lack of ability to feed on Cucurbitaceae, indicating that A. terpsicore is unlikely to become a pest of vegetable and horticultural crops. It is hypothesised that the narrower host range in Australia is attributed to the founder effect of a limited gene pool. Within 14 months of colonisation, A. terpsicore has occupied much of the western half of the ‘Top End’ of the Northern Territory and spread to the eastern Kimberley of Western Australia, with an estimated extent of occurrence of 112 000 km2 and average dispersal rate of 315 ± 56 (SE) km/year. Because the butterfly has the ability to exploit (injure) Violaceae, and potentially outcompete A. andromacha, it may qualify as an invasive species.
Is lipoatrophia semicircularis a rare disease? Report of three cases
Authors: Arunachalam Meena , Betti Silvia , Galeone Massimiliano , Grandi Vieri , Difonzo Elisa
Published: February 2014

Lipoatrophia semicircularis is characterised by band‐like horizontal skin depressions involving the anterior and lateral sides of the lower limbs. Whether this occurrence is rare or is just not well known or simply underreported because it does not cause patient distress is still under discussion. In a 1‐year period we observed three cases due to local, mechanical pressure in an Italian dermatology outpatient clinic. However, other factors described in current literature may contribute to this phenomenon. More large‐scale studies are needed to clearly assess the origin of this condition.
Detecting research patterns and paratextual features in AE word clouds, keywords, and titles
Authors: AHEARN LAURA M.
Published: February 2014

The keywords and titles from AE's 2013, 2003, 1993, and 1983 articles are a cryptic, condensed metanarrative that authors tell about their own scholarship. They thus offer an opportunity to reflect on directions in anthropological research over the past few decades. In addition, the tables and word clouds that can be generated from those keywords and titles demonstrate how the presentation of information can influence its perception and interpretation. In this commentary, I note some patterns in the AE data and present sets of word clouds that demonstrate how differently the same array of words can appear because of paratextual features such as font and the placement of the words. I also present the selection of keywords and titles as a set of literacy practices.
Commentary: Response to Karen Ho on cultures of capitalism, contexts of capitalism
Authors: ORTA ANDREW
Published: February 2014

The anthropology of capitalism requires ethnographic attention to capitalism at key sites of its production, as well as analytic recognition of the compulsive force of capitalism as it is produced and reproduced through a multitude of connected practices. This reply to Karen Ho's commentary on my AE article “Managing the Margins” addresses the tensions between approaching capitalism as context and as an emergent cultural production, and the challenges of engaging with “native categories”—such as “risk”—that blur with terms of critical analysis.
Provisional agency in India: Jugaad and legitimation of corruption
Authors: JAUREGUI BEATRICE
Published: February 2014

People in India deploy a variety of euphemisms for corruption, one of which is jugaad, which refers to goal‐oriented improvisation, especially the use of informal social networks to advance one's interests. But as often as it is conflated with corruption, jugaad is also conceived as necessary for “getting by” and even as virtuous practice. This ethnography of police practices in Uttar Pradesh shows how the contronymic character of jugaad emerges from widespread valuation of what I call “provisional agency,” which is both a capability to provide a social good and a temporary means of mobility geared toward a better future. Understanding practices that may be deemed “corrupt” as embodiments of provisional agency breaks down a clear distinction between virtue and vice and works to disaggregate a rigid inverse relationship between morality and power that assumes “elite” dominance can only be answered by resistance or acquiescence “from below.
Public things, excremental politics, and the infrastructure of bare life in Ghana's city of Tema
Authors: CHALFIN BRENDA
Published: February 2014

In Ghana's planned city of Tema, public toilets and sewerage systems are a formative terrain of urban political praxis giving tangible form to what Henri Lefebvre calls “the right to the city.” Revealing the political potentials and determinations of both waste and municipal infrastructure, excreta and the systems devised to contain and channel them serve asres publicae, or “public things.” At the same time they embody the inequities of bare life and biopolitical proscription in Tema's urban margins, waste management arrangements underwrite collective outlooks and entitlements and wrest a space for urban existence outside the grasp of state bureaucracies and political elites.
Standardized forms of Vietnamese selfhood: An ethnographic genealogy of documentation
Authors: LESHKOWICH ANN MARIE
Published: February 2014

Three standardized forms used to write the self in Vietnam structure ways of thinking about the relationship between the individual, family, and state; legitimize technical expertise and tools of self‐improvement; and promote specific configurations of political economy. Two of the forms (the lý lịch autobiographical statement and the “Cultured Family” self‐assessment checklist) are closely associated with socialist practices. The third (social work case file) is best classified as neoliberal. Tracing the genealogy of these forms and their ethnographic contexts reveals, however, underlying continuities in logics of individual assessment and faith in the application of technical expertise to achieve desired development outcomes. It also demonstrates that the ostensibly more coercive socialist technologies of documentation have provided narrative frameworks that enable individuals to represent themselves in other contexts, whereas the social work case file that aims to empower individuals may ultimately render them passive subjects of transnational expertise.
Asystole Detected by Implantable Loop Recorders: True or False?
Authors: Ali Hussam , Sorgente Antonio , Daleffe Elisabetta , Cappato Riccardo
Published: February 2014

We report a case of a false asystole detected by an implantable loop recorder a few days after its implantation. In the discussion section we try to give some hints to help cardiac electrophysiologists in distinguish true from false asystoles, in order to avoid unuseful and potentially dangerous implantations of pacemakers.
Adaptive ageing surgeons
Authors: Peisah Carmelle , Wijeratne Chanaka , Waxman Bruce , Vonau Marianne
Published: February 2014

The surgical workforce is ageing. This will impact on future workforce supply and planning, as well as the professional performance and welfare of surgeons themselves. This paper is a ‘call to arms’ to surgeons to consider the complex problem of advancing years and surgical performance. We aim to promote discussion about the issue of ageing as it relates to surgeons, while exploring ways in which successful ageing in surgeons may be promoted. The task‐specific aspects of surgical practice suggest that it is a physically and cognitively demanding task, reliant on a range of fine motor, sensory, visuospatial, reasoning, memory and processing skills. Many of these skills potentially decline with age, although there is great inter‐individual variation, particularly in cognitive performance. Nevertheless, there is some consensus in the literature that age‐related cognitive changes exist in a proportion of surgeons, and there is an increase in operative mortality rates for certain surgical procedures performed by older and more experienced surgeons. In the absence of mandatory retirement, guidance is needed in regard to individualizing the timing of retirement and encouraging reflective and adaptive practice based on insight into how one's skills and performance may change with age. This may be best facilitated by some form of informed and guided self‐monitoring or ‘self‐screening’. It should be emphasized that self‐screening is not a form of self‐treatment but aims to enhance insight, using a tool kit of resources to promote adaptive ageing. Moreover, self‐screening should not be restricted to cognition, which is only part of the picture of ageing, but extended to emphasize the maintenance of mental and physical wellness, and the acceptance of independent professional treatment and support when required.