bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
2436
Authors: Carpenter David , Tucci Debara L. , Kaylie David M. , Frank-Ito Dennis O.
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Middle ear volume (MEV) is a clinically relevant parameter in the treatment of many common conditions including otitis media, tinnitus, and conductive hearing loss. A growing number of studies have shifted from using tympanometry to 3-dimensional volume reconstruction (3DVR) to calculate MEV; however, MEV values between these methodologies have never before been directly compared. Here, our objective is to characterize agreement between MEV measurement methods across disease states and middle ear sizes. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Middle ears were identified from 36 patients ranging 18–89 years of age who underwent tympanometry testing during preoperative workup for tympanic membrane (TM) perforation, up to 1 month prior to a standard-of-care temporal bone computed tomography (CT) between October 15, 2005 and October 15, 2015. MEV values calculated by both tympanometry and 3DVR were analyzed for agreement using Bland and Altman plots. A correction factor was calculated where ear canal volumes were available for contralateral middle ears without TM perforation (n=12), and was applied to a second Bland and Altman plot in the corresponding patient subgroup. MEV agreement was characterized across MEV quartiles (1=smallest; 4=largest) and across increasing states of middle ear disease using Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon testing with Bonferonni correction. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: A Bland Altman plot demonstrated significant disagreement of MEV differences as compared to a priori clinical thresholds. Absolute MEV difference was significantly greater in the average MEV fourth to first quartile (p=0.0024), fourth to second quartile (p=0.0024), third to first quartile (p=0.0048), and third to second quartile (p=0.048). Absolute MEV difference was not significantly different across varying states of middle ear disease (p=0.44). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Statistically evident and clinically significant disagreement was demonstrated across tympanometric and 3DVR MEV estimates. This lack of agreement was most pronounced at higher average MEV and was persistent yet not appreciably different across varying severities of middle ear disease. These findings may limit the generalizability of studies of the middle ear that differ in MEV estimation methodology, particularly in pathophysiological states where MEV is increased.
2504
Authors: Ran Nina , Ellebrecht Christoph , Jung Choi Eun , Payne Aimee
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal blistering disease caused by autoantibodies to the keratinocyte adhesion protein desmoglein 3. Several other autoimmune diseases have defective B cell tolerance checkpoints, resulting in the accumulation of self-reactive and polyreactive B cells. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The present work aims to determine whether PV patients develop normal tolerance to self-antigens other than desmoglein 3, as a potential “first hit” in the development of autoimmunity. We use FACS to isolate single B cells at 4 developmental stages from 8 PV patients. We perform single-cell RT-PCR to amplify each B cell receptor, produce monoclonal antibodies, and screen these for autoreactivity using ELISA/IF to several self-antigens. At each B cell stage, we compare the frequencies of self-reactive and polyreactive B cells to those found in healthy controls. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate similar frequencies between PV patients and controls, suggesting that the B cell repertoire in PV patients develops normally at early checkpoints. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: The absence of generalized reactivity would distinguish PV from other autoimmune diseases and would show that PV arises from a specific break in tolerance to a single self-antigen (desmoglein 3) during late B cell maturation. Such a result would further support PV as an ideal candidate for targeted immunotherapy.
2509
Authors: Conrad Joseph A. , Richardson Kelly , Bitting Anna , Kalams Spyros , Wright David
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: High-sensitivity diagnostics for early infant diagnosis (EID) of HIV at the point of care (POC) are not widely available. Lateral flow immunoassays (LFA) can detect HIV-p24, but are not sensitive enough in practice. With improvements, LFA are a compelling platform for POC in EID. We used functionalized magnetic beads and immunocomplex dissociation to improve sensitivity of HIV-p24 LFA. Here, we evaluate the utility for LFA to quantitatively report HIV-p24 concentration and estimate HIV viral load. Using purified p24 protein and virion constructs, we determined the limits of detection for HIV-p24 using LFA rapid tests. Using measurements from HIV-p24 ELISA, laboratory-developed RT-qPCR, droplet digital PCR, and gold standard clinical viral load, we further characterized the relationship between HIV-p24 concentration, HIV genomic RNA, and LFA test line signal. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We measured HIV-p24 concentration by ELISA (R&D Systems) and LFA (Alere Determine HIV-1/2 Ab/Ag Combo). An LFA reader instrument was used to image test lines and measure test line signal on the LFA. HIV viral loads were measured using RT-qPCR and droplet digital RT-PCR protocols adapted in our lab. We obtained gold standard viral load measurements using the Roche Cobas TaqMan system at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Data analysis was performed using Prism 7 and Stata 14. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: LFA test line signal increases in a predictable, dose-dependent manner and correlates with concentration of purified HIV-p24 with a linear range between 50 and 1000 pg/mL (Spearman r=1; p=0.0004). We compared p24 concentration (ELISA). We evaluated the utility of LFA to quantify HIV-p24 from virions suspended in human plasma, which increased the limit of detection for HIV-p24 to 100 pg/mL and shifted the linear range 100–10,000 pg/mL (Spearman r=0.77; p<0.001). To evaluate the relationship between HIV-p24 concentration and concentration of HIV RNA, we employed 3 molecular techniques. The LFA is capable of detecting HIV-p24 concentrations that correspond to a range of viral loads between 653,000 and 1655 copies of viral RNA/mL. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our preliminary results are very promising, indicating that commercially available LFA can quantitatively measure HIV-p24 concentration to low levels. When coupled with our analysis of the relationship between HIV-p24 concentration and HIV RNA concentration, LFA may be a potential platform allowing us to estimate HIV viral burden at clinically relevant levels. Our next steps will be to evaluate this relationship in primary, clinical specimens in collaboration with the Tennessee Center for AIDS Research. We will incorporate technologies to improve the sensitivity of these LFA and evaluate their performance in field settings in Zambia. Our findings are broadly applicable for use in HIV care and treatment programs and early infant diagnosis programs around the world.
2027
Authors: Ma Shuangge , Zhao Yinjun , Wang Yu
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Research on cancer difference is of significant scientific and practical value. For leukemia, the survival disadvantage of the Blacks has been suggested in multiple studies. However, the existing epidemiologic analysis has multiple technical limitations. The goal of this study is to more accurately quantify so as to better understand different sources of racial differences in leukemia survival. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: A new statistical method, which is based on robust regression and resampling, is developed. Data are obtained from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database. Using the “classic” epidemiologic methods as well as the new method, analysis is conducted on the prognosis of 4 leukemia subtypes (ALL, CLL, AML, and CML) for 4 major racial groups (White, non-Hispanic White, Black, and Asian and Pacific Islander). RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: After effectively removing differences caused by the observed clinicopathological and demographic factors, the survival disadvantage of the Blacks persists for the following patient groups: ALL and age>14, CLL and age>14, and ALL and age≤14. The quantitative results are significantly different from those from classic epidemiologic analysis. Such observed racial differences are more attributable to the unobserved risk factors and cancer disparity. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: This study provides a more effective and more direct quantification of racial difference in leukemia prognosis. The survival disadvantage of the Blacks which is observed for certain subtypes/age groups deserves further attention but should not be overstated. More data collection and analysis are needed to more accurately decipher racial differences in leukemia and other cancer types.
2122
Authors: Shandley Lisa M. , Daniels Lauren M. , Spencer Jessica B. , Mertens Ann C. , Howards Penelope P.
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: In the United States, it is estimated that approximately half of all pregnancies are unintended. This study examines the prevalence of unintended pregnancy in a cohort of cancer survivors and identifies factors associated with unintended pregnancy after cancer. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The FUCHSIA Women’s Study is a population-based study of female cancer survivors at a reproductive age of 22–45 years. Cancer survivors diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 35 years and at least 2 years postdiagnosis were recruited in collaboration with the Georgia Cancer Registry. Participants were interviewed about their reproductive histories. The prediagnosis analysis included all women who completed the interview; the postdiagnosis analysis excluded those who had a hysterectomy, bilateral oophorectomy, or tubal ligation by cancer diagnosis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Of the 1282 survivors interviewed, 57.5% reported at least 1 pregnancy before cancer diagnosis; of which, 44.5% were unintended. Of the 1088 survivors included in the postdiagnosis analysis, 36.9% reported a post-cancer pregnancy. Among those who had a pregnancy after cancer diagnosis, 38.6% reported at least 1 pregnancy was unintended. Of the 80 breast cancer survivors who had a pregnancy after diagnosis, 52.5% of them were unintended. Predictors of unintended pregnancy in cancer survivors included being younger than 30 years at diagnosis [odds ratio (OR) 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4, 2.9], identifying as Black (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1, 2.3, comparison: White), and having resumption of menses after cancer treatment (OR 8.1, 95% CI 2.0, 33.0). Compared with being <4 years from cancer diagnosis, those who were farther from diagnosis at the time of the interview also had increased odds of unintended pregnancy (4–7 years: OR 1.5, 95% CI 0.9, 2.7; 8–10 years: OR 1.3, 95% CI 0.7, 2.4; >10 years: OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.6, 4.7). DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Despite being at higher risk of infertility, cancer survivors may still be at considerable risk of unintended pregnancy. Women with certain types of cancer that are more likely to be hormone responsive, such as some types of breast cancer, may be hesitant to use hormonal birth control and thus be at higher risk of unintended pregnancy. Counseling for cancer survivors should include a discussion of the risk of unintended pregnancy and contraceptive options.
Noninfectious Hospital Adverse Events Decline After Elimination of Contact Precautions for MRSA and VRE
Authors: Martin Elise M. , Bryant Brandy , Grogan Tristan R. , Rubin Zachary A. , Russell Dana L. , Elashoff David , Uslan Daniel Z.
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of discontinuing routine contact precautions (CP) for endemic methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA) and vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus(VRE) on hospital adverse events.

DESIGN

Retrospective, nonrandomized, observational, quasi-experimental study.

SETTING

Academic medical center with single-occupancy rooms.

PARTICIPANTS

Inpatients.

METHODS

We compared hospital reportable adverse events 1 year before and 1 year after discontinuation of routine CP for endemic MRSA and VRE (preintervention and postintervention periods, respectively). Throughout the preintervention period, daily chlorhexidine gluconate bathing was expanded to nearly all inpatients. Chart reviews were performed to identify which patients and events were associated with CP for MRSA/VRE in the preintervention period as well as the patients that would have met prior criteria for MRSA/VRE CP but were not isolated in the postintervention period. Adverse events during the 2 periods were compared using segmented and mixed-effects Poisson regression models.

RESULTS

There were 24,732 admissions in the preintervention period and 25,536 in the postintervention period. Noninfectious adverse events (ie, postoperative respiratory failure, hemorrhage/hematoma, thrombosis, wound dehiscence, pressure ulcers, and falls or trauma) decreased by 19% (12.3 to 10.0 per 1,000 admissions,P=.022) from the preintervention to the postintervention period. There was no significant difference in the rate of infectious adverse events after CP discontinuation (20.7 to 19.4 per 1,000 admissions,P=.33). Patients with MRSA/VRE showed the largest reduction in noninfectious adverse events after CP discontinuation, with a 72% reduction (21.4 to 6.08 per 1,000 MRSA/VRE admissions;P<.001).

CONCLUSION

After discontinuing routine CP for endemic MRSA/VRE, the rate of noninfectious adverse events declined, especially in patients who no longer required isolation. This suggests that elimination of CP may substantially reduce noninfectious adverse events.

Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol2018;788–796
Periodically driven Taylor–Couette turbulence
Authors: Verschoof Ruben A. , te Nijenhuis Arne K. , Huisman Sander G. , Sun Chao , Lohse Detlef
Published: May 2018

We study periodically driven Taylor–Couette turbulence, i.e. the flow confined between two concentric, independently rotating cylinders. Here, the inner cylinder is driven sinusoidally while the outer cylinder is kept at rest (time-averaged Reynolds number is $Re_{i}=5\times 10^{5}$). Using particle image velocimetry, we measure the velocity over a wide range of modulation periods, corresponding to a change in Womersley number in the range $15\leqslant Wo\leqslant 114$. To understand how the flow responds to a given modulation, we calculate the phase delay and amplitude response of the azimuthal velocity. In agreement with earlier theoretical and numerical work, we find that for large modulation periods the system follows the given modulation of the driving, i.e. the behaviour of the system is quasi-stationary. For smaller modulation periods, the flow cannot follow the modulation, and the flow velocity responds with a phase delay and a smaller amplitude response to the given modulation. If we compare our results with numerical and theoretical results for the laminar case, we find that the scalings of the phase delay and the amplitude response are similar. However, the local response in the bulk of the flow is independent of the distance to the modulated boundary. Apparently, the turbulent mixing is strong enough to prevent the flow from having radius-dependent responses to the given modulation.
Temporal stability of free liquid threads with surface viscoelasticity
Authors: Martínez-Calvo A. , Sevilla A.
Published: May 2018

We analyse the effect of surface viscoelasticity on the temporal stability of a free cylindrical liquid jet coated with insoluble surfactant, extending the results of Timmermans & Lister (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 459, 2002, pp. 289–306). Our development requires, in particular, deriving the correct expressions for the normal and tangential stress boundary conditions at a general axisymmetric interface when surface viscosity is modelled with the Boussinesq–Scriven constitutive equation. These stress conditions are applied to obtain a new dispersion relation for the liquid thread, which is solved to describe its temporal stability as a function of four governing parameters, namely the capillary Reynolds number, the elasticity parameter, and the shear and dilatational Boussinesq numbers. It is shown that both surface viscosities have a stabilising influence for all values of the capillary Reynolds number and elasticity parameter, the effect being more pronounced at low capillary Reynolds numbers. The wavenumber of maximum amplification depends non-monotonically on the Boussinesq numbers, especially for very viscous threads at low values of the elasticity parameter. Finally, two different lubrication approximations of the equations of motion are derived. While the validity of the leading-order model is limited to small enough values of the elasticity parameter and of the Boussinesq numbers, a higher-order parabolic model is able to accurately capture the linearised behaviour for the whole range of values of the four control parameters.
Courage in the workplace: The effects of organizational level and gender on the relationship between behavioral courage and job performance
Authors: Tkachenko Oleksandr , Quast Louis N. , Song Wei , Jang Soebin
Published: May 2018

This study examines the relationship between behavioral courage and job performance, and explores the possible effects of organizational level and gender on this relationship. With a sample of managers from mid- to large-sized for-profit organizations in the United States, we found that behavioral courage was positively associated with job performance. Our results also revealed significant differences in supervisors’ ratings of behavioral courage between employees at low and high organizational levels. The effects of behavioral courage on job performance did not vary by organizational level. In turn, the moderating effect of gender on the association between behavioral courage and job performance was supported. The study results provide important theoretical and practical implications in the fields of organizational behavior, leadership studies, and human resource development. Recommendations for future research are discussed.
LABOR-TIME: ECOLOGICAL BODIES AND AGRICULTURAL LABOR IN 19TH- AND EARLY 20TH-CENTURY EGYPT
Authors: Derr Jennifer L.
Published: May 2018

Beginning in the second decade of the 19th century, Egyptian agriculture began a process of transformation from basin to perennial irrigation. This shift facilitated the practice of year-round agriculture and the cultivation of summer crops including cotton whose temporalities did not match that of the annual Nile flood. One facet of the perennially irrigated landscape was an increase in the prevalence of the parasitic diseases bilharzia (schistosomiasis) and hookworm, the symptoms of which came to constitute normative experiences of the body among those engaged in perennially irrigated agriculture. Male agricultural laborers, who most often performed the work of irrigation, were at the greatest risk of infection. This article considers the significance of agricultural labor in the continuous making and maintenance of perennially irrigated agriculture and the role of parasitic disease in producing temporal experiences of this labor.
THE ORIGINAL ARABS: THE INVENTION OF THE “BEDOUIN RACE” IN OTTOMAN PALESTINE
Authors: Assi Seraj
Published: May 2018

This article examines the symbiotic relationship between race and empire in British ethnographic discourse on the Arabs of Palestine. Drawing on the works of British explorers in late Ottoman Palestine, I show how native Palestinian Bedouin came to be viewed as a separate race within a hierarchy of Arab races, and how within this racial reconfiguration the Bedouin embodied not only an ideal model of racial purity, but also a racial archetype on which Arabness itself was measured, codified, and reproduced.
A RESPONSE TO JOSEPH SASSOON'S REVIEW OF THE BAʿTHIFICATION OF IRAQ: SADDAM HUSSEIN'S TOTALITARIANISM (AUSTIN, TEX.: UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PRESS, 2015)
Authors: Faust Aaron
Published: May 2018

In his review of my book, The Baʿthification of Iraq: Saddam Hussein's Totalitarianism, in the February 2017 edition of IJMES, Joseph Sassoon mischaracterizes my arguments, makes inaccurate and ancillary claims to try to discredit my theses, and ignores information when it does not square with the findings from his own book about the Baʿthist archives.
MINISKIRTS AND “BEATNIKS”: GENDER ROLES, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, AND MORALS IN 1960S TUNISIA
Authors: Kallander Amy Aisen
Published: May 2018

In the decade following independence, the Tunisian state embraced secular feminism as part of the single-party monopoly on political life and economic development. Yet its celebration of new family laws as an aspect of modernization was marred by anxieties about the sexual and moral implications of modern womanhood. Tracing references to the miniskirt in presidential speeches and the women's press, I demonstrate how efforts to delineate the boundaries of proper appearance gave tangible form to the amorphous question of morality. Parallel concerns about long-haired youth further indicated the bourgeois basis of the modernizing visual aesthetic as it restrained young men. Through fashion, urban educated women utilized the press to negotiate the limits of the more politically sensitive topic of state feminism. Middle-class debates about dress reveal that nationalist secular feminists who benefitted from the state's definition of women's rights questioned hegemonic conceptions of womanhood and articulated alternate versions of masculinity.
Defending Hierarchy from the Moon to the Indian Ocean: Symbolic Capital and Political Dominance in Early Modern China and the Cold War
Authors: Musgrave Paul , Nexon Daniel H.
Published: May 2018

Why do leading actors invest in costly projects that they expect will not yield appreciable military or economic benefits? We identify a causal process in which concerns about legitimacy produce attempts to secure dominance in arenas of high symbolic value by investing wealth and labor into unproductive (in direct military and economic terms) goods and performances. We provide evidence for our claims through a comparative study of the American Project Apollo and the Ming Dynasty's treasure fleets. We locate our argument within a broader constructivist and practice-theoretic understanding of hierarchy and hegemony. We build on claims that world politics is a sphere of complex social stratification by viewing constituent hierarchies in terms of social fields. Our specific theory and broader framework, we contend, provide tools for understanding the workings of power politics beyond military and economic competition.
Does dietary nitrate say NO to cardiovascular ageing? Current evidence and implications for research
Authors: Siervo Mario , Scialò Filippo , Shannon Oliver M. , Stephan Blossom C.M. , Ashor Ammar W.
Published: May 2018

CVD are characterised by a multi-factorial pathogenesis. Key pathogenetic steps in the development of CVD are the occurrence of endothelial dysfunction and formation of atherosclerotic lesions. Reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability is a primary event in the initiation of the atherosclerotic cascade. NO is a free radical with multiple physiological functions including the regulation of vascular resistance, coagulation, immunity and oxidative metabolism. The synthesis of NO proceeds via two distinct pathways identified as enzymatic and non-enzymatic. The former involves the conversion of arginine into NO by the NO synthases, whilst the latter comprises a two-step reducing process converting inorganic nitrate $({\rm NO}_3^ - )$ into nitrite and subsequently NO.

Inorganic ${\rm NO}_3^ - $ is present in water and food, particularly beetroot and green leafy vegetables. Several investigations have therefore used the non-enzymatic NO pathway as a target for nutritional supplementation (${\rm NO}_3^ - $ salts) or dietary interventions (high-${\rm NO}_3^ - $ foods) to increase NO bioavailability and impact on cardiovascular outcomes. Some studies have reported positive effects of dietary ${\rm NO}_3^ - $ on systolic blood pressure and endothelial function in patients with hypertension and chronic heart failure. Nevertheless, results have been inconsistent and the size of the effect appears to be declining in older individuals. Additionally, there is a paucity of studies for disorders such as diabetes, CHD and chronic kidney failure. Thus, whilst dietary ${\rm NO}_3^ - $ supplementation could represent an effective and viable strategy for the primary and secondary prevention of age-related cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, more large-scale, robust studies are awaited to confirm or refute this notion.
User Participation Policies in Norway and England – the Case of Older People and Social Care
Authors: CHRISTENSEN KAREN , PILLING DORIA
Published: May 2018

User participation has become one of the most important concepts in the social care sector in many European countries, but the literature has mostly paid attention to disabled people or those with mental health problems. This article compares the user participation policies directed at social care for older people in Norway and England. Using a discourse analytical approach, a selection primarily of White papers from the 1960s until today are analysed. The analysis draws on the literature's discourse discussion, including a democratic/rights based discourse (full citizenship), a consumer discourse (consumers’ rights to choose welfare services), a co-production discourse (users and state/local authorities partnerships), and nuances of these discourses. The analysis shows that, while both countries start with variations of a democratic discourse, Norway develops a temporary and weak consumer discourse in a middle phase, then moves to co-production in current times. England, on the other hand, develops a comprehensive consumer discourse but also a surprisingly strong co-production discourse – the idea of a ‘Big Society’ – in early and current times.
Taming the Past: Essays on Law in History and History in Law
Authors: Rabban David M.
Published: May 2018

Robert Gordon became the pioneering scholar of the history and historiography of American law with the publication of his first essays in the 1970s. His research and teaching have stimulated and guided the dramatic growth of American scholarship in legal history during the past four decades, much of it written by his own students and the many others whose work he has generously encouraged and engaged. Taming the Past combines the classic essays he has published in various journals and edited collections throughout his distinguished career alongside lectures that are printed here for the first time. Brief introductory notes place the essays in the context of their original appearance and often cite subsequent relevant scholarship. Gordon has also added a general introduction that provides a useful overview of the entire collection. The whole is much more than the sum of its impressive parts.
Effectiveness of different interventions in public nurseries based on food and nutrition education: promoting breast-feeding and healthy complementary feeding
Authors: Cândido Naiara Abrantes , de Sousa Taciana Maia , dos Santos Luana Caroline
Published: May 2018

Objective

Food practices in the early years of life are important to form healthy eating habits; therefore, it is essential for the caregivers of infants to receive appropriate guidance. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of different nutritional interventions on complementary feeding practices in municipal nurseries.

Design

Non-randomized controlled intervention study with education professionals and parents of infants (<2 years). Participants were divided into: control group (CG), standard food and nutrition education in writing; and intervention group (IG), the same information as the CG and face-to-face meetings (professionals, 8 h; parents, 5 h). Changes in professionals’ knowledge on the subject and alterations in parents’ beliefs, attitudes and intentions were assessed using questionnaires before and after the educational activities.

Setting

Ten public nurseries in Nova Lima, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2015.

Subjects

Ninety professionals (fifty in CG; forty in IG) and 169 parents (ninety-seven in CG; seventy-two in IG).

Results

After the intervention, there was a significant increase in the mean number of correct responses given by professionals in the IG (12·2 v. 10·7; P=0·001). In addition, there were improvements among the parents of the IG in relation to beliefs (soups and broths do not nourish my child: P=0·012), attitudes (offer meat from the sixth month: P=0·032) and intentions (do not offer soups and broths: P=0·003; offer vegetables: P=0·018; offer meat: P<0·001).

Conclusions

Face-to-face nutritional intervention had a significantly greater effect on the parameters evaluated, indicating the importance of adequate guidance in childcare services to support the introduction of complementary feeding.
The nutrition transition in Mexico 1988–2016: the role of wealth in the social patterning of obesity by education
Authors: Pérez-Ferrer Carolina , McMunn Anne , Zaninotto Paola , Brunner Eric J
Published: May 2018

Objective

The present study investigates whether the reversal of the social gradient in obesity, defined as a cross-over to higher obesity prevalence among groups with lower education level, has occurred among men and women in urban and rural areas of Mexico.

Design

Cross-sectional series of nationally representative surveys (1988, 1999, 2006, 2012 and 2016). The association between education and obesity was investigated over the period 1988–2016. Effect modification of the education–obesity association by household wealth was tested.

Setting

Mexico.

Subjects

Women (n 54 816) and men (n 20 589) aged 20–49 years.

Results

In both urban and rural areas, the association between education and obesity in women varied by level of household wealth in the earlier surveys (1988, 1999 and 2006; interaction P<0·001). In urban areas in 1988, one level lower education was associated (prevalence ratio; 95 % CI) with 45 % higher obesity prevalence among the richest women (1·45; 1·24, 1·69), whereas among the poorest the same education difference was protective (0·84; 0·72, 0·99). In the latest surveys (2012, 2016), higher education was protective across all wealth groups. Among men, education level was not associated with obesity in urban areas; there was a direct association in rural areas. Wealth did not modify the association between education and obesity.

Conclusion

The reversal of the educational gradient in obesity among women occurred once a threshold level of household wealth was reached. Among men, there was no evidence of a reversal of the gradient. Policies must not lose sight of the populations most vulnerable to the obesogenic environment.
STABILIZERS, GROUPS WITH -GENERICS, AND PRC FIELDS
Authors: Montenegro Samaria , Onshuus Alf , Simon Pierre
Published: May 2018

In this paper, we develop three different subjects. We study and prove alternative versions of Hrushovski’s ‘stabilizer theorem’, we generalize part of the basic theory of definably amenable NIP groups to $\text{NTP}_{2}$ theories, and finally, we use all this machinery to study groups with f-generic types definable in bounded pseudo real closed fields.
Establishing a Twin Register: An Invaluable Resource for (Behavior) Genetic, Epidemiological, Biomarker, and ‘Omics’ Studies
Authors: Odintsova Veronika V. , Willemsen Gonneke , Dolan Conor V. , Hottenga Jouke-Jan , Martin Nicholas G. , Slagboom P. Eline , Ordoñana Juan R. , Boomsma Dorret I.
Published: May 2018

Twin registers are wonderful research resources for research applications in medical and behavioral genetics, epidemiology, psychology, molecular genetics, and other areas of research. New registers continue to be launched all over the world as researchers from different disciplines recognize the potential to boost and widen their research agenda. In this article, we discuss multiple aspects that need to be taken into account when initiating a register, from its preliminary sketch to its actual development. This encompasses aspects related to the strategic planning and key elements of research designs, promotion and management of a twin register, including recruitment and retaining of twins and family members of twins, phenotyping, database organization, and collaborations between registers. We also present information on questions unique to twin registers and twin-biobanks, such as the assessment of zygosity by SNP arrays, the design of (biomarker) studies involving related participants, and the analyses of clustered data. Altogether, we provide a number of basic guidelines and recommendations for reflection when planning a twin register.
Zonally Varying ITCZs in a Matsuno‐Gill‐Type Model With an Idealized Bjerknes Feedback
Authors: Adam Ori
Published: May 2018

In the present climate, tropical rain bands exhibit a bifurcated pattern, continuously forming along single intertropical convergence zones (ITCZs) in some regions, and along double ITCZs that straddle the equator in other regions. This bifurcated ITCZ pattern is studied in a Matsuno‐Gill‐type model forced by relaxation to zonally asymmetric surface pressure. The model includes an idealized Bjerknes feedback which couples surface winds and sea surface temperatures (SSTs) via oceanic Ekman balance. Consistent with observations, solutions in the limit of strong damping are explored. Two ITCZ bifurcation mechanisms are identified. First, in the viscous limit, ITCZs form along negative anomalies of the local Rossby number, which tend to occur near the equator for equatorial low pressure and off the equator for equatorial high pressure; this leads to a single ITCZ in the rising branch of zonal‐overturning circulations and a double ITCZ that straddles the equator in the descending branch. Second, ocean upwelling produces an equatorial cold tongue with increased surface pressure, which reduces vertical winds and can lead to precipitation peaks that straddle the equator in regions of near‐equator ascent. Consistent with observations, the cold tongue intensifies with increasing zonal SST gradients, and its base widens with weakened poleward SST gradients, modulating the zonal orientation of the ITCZs on either side of the cold tongue. Analytic approximate solutions in the viscous limit capture the emergence of the bifurcated ITCZ pattern, as well as the dependence of the bifurcated ITCZ pattern on zonal and poleward SST gradients
Martian Thermospheric Response to an X8.2 Solar Flare on 10 September 2017 as Seen by MAVEN/IUVS
Authors: Jain S. K. , Deighan J. , Schneider N. M. , Stewart A. I. F. , Evans J. S. , Thiemann E. M. B. , Chaffin M. S. , Crismani M. , Stevens M. H. , Elrod M. K. , Stiepen A. , McClintock W. E. , Lo D. Y. , Clarke J. T. , Eparvier F. G. , Lefévre F. , Montmessin F. , Holsclaw G. M. , Chamberlin P. C. , Jakosky B. M.
Published: May 2018

We report the response of the Martian upper atmosphere to a strong X‐class flare on 10 September 2017 as observed by the Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument aboard the Mars Atmosphere Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission. The solar flare peaked at 16:24 hr UT, and IUVS dayglow observations were taken about an hour after the flare peak. Retrieved temperatures from IUVS dayglow observations show a significant increase during the flare orbit, with a mean value of ∼270 K and a maximum value of ∼310 K. The retrieved temperatures during the flare orbit also show a strong latitudinal gradient, indicating that the flare‐induced heating is limited between low and middle latitudes. During this event IUVS observed an ∼70% increase in the observed brightness of CO
ultraviolet doublet and CO Cameron band emission at 90 km, where high‐energy photons (< 10 nm) deposit most of their energy.
Endogenous hepcidin synthesis protects the distal nephron against hemin and hemoglobin mediated necroptosis
Authors: van Swelm Rachel P. L. , Vos Madelon , Verhoeven Frank , Thévenod Frank , Swinkels Dorine W.
Published: May 2018

Hemoglobinuria is associated with kidney injury in various hemolytic pathologies. Currently, there is no treatment available and its pathophysiology is not completely understood. Here we studied the potential detrimental effects of hemoglobin (Hb) exposure to the distal nephron (DN). Involvement of the DN in Hb kidney injury was suggested by the induction of renal hepcidin synthesis (p < 0.001) in mice repeatedly injected with intravenous Hb. Moreover, the hepcidin induction was associated with a decline in urinary kidney injury markers 24p3/NGAL and KIM1, suggesting a role for hepcidin in protection against Hb kidney injury. We demonstrated that uptake of Hb in the mouse cortical collecting duct cells (mCCDcl1) is mediated by multi-protein ligand receptor 24p3R, as indicated by a significant 90% reduction in Hb uptake (p < 0.001) after 24p3R silencing. Moreover, incubation of mCCDcl1 cells with Hb or hemin for 4 or 24 h resulted in hepcidin synthesis and increased mRNA expression of markers for oxidative, inflammatory and ER stress, but no cell death as indicated by apoptosis staining. A protective role for cellular hepcidin against Hb-induced injury was demonstrated by aggravation of oxidative, inflammatory and ER stress after 4 h Hb or hemin incubation in hepcidin silenced mCCDcl1 cells. Hepcidin silencing potentiated hemin-mediated cell death that could be diminished by co-incubation of Nec-1, suggesting that endogenous hepcidin prevents necroptosis. Combined, these results demonstrate that renal hepcidin synthesis protects the DN against hemin and hemoglobin-mediated injury.
Corylin increases the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma cells to chemotherapy through long noncoding RNA RAD51-AS1-mediated inhibition of DNA repair
Authors: Chen Chin-Chuan , Chen Chi-Yuan , Ueng Shir-Hwa , Hsueh Chuen , Yeh Chau-Ting , Ho Jar-Yi , Chou Li-Fang , Wang Tong-Hong
Published: May 2018

Corylin, a biologically active agent extracted from Psoralea corylifolia L. (Fabaceae), promotes bone differentiation and inhibits inflammation. Currently, few reports have addressed the biological functions that are regulated by corylin, and to date, no studies have investigated its antitumor activity. In this study, we used cell functional assays to analyze the antitumor activity of corylin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Furthermore, whole-transcriptome assays were performed to identify the downstream genes that were regulated by corylin, and gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments were conducted to examine the regulatory roles of the above genes. We found that corylin significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells and increased the toxic effects of chemotherapeutic agents against HCC cells. These properties were due to the induction of a long noncoding RNA, RAD51-AS1, which bound to RAD51 mRNA, thereby inhibiting RAD51 protein expression, thus inhibiting the DNA damage repair ability of HCC cells. Animal experiments also showed that a combination treatment with corylin significantly increased the inhibitory effects of the chemotherapeutic agent etoposide (VP16) on tumor growth. These findings indicate that corylin has strong potential as an adjuvant drug in HCC treatment and that corylin can strengthen the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
microRNA-501-3p suppresses metastasis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma through targeting LIN7A
Authors: Luo Chubin , Yin Dan , Zhan Hao , Borjigin Uyunbilig , Li Chuanjiang , Zhou Zhengjun , Hu Zhiqiang , Wang Pengcheng , Sun Qiman , Fan Jia , Zhou Jian , Wang Xin , Zhou Shaolai , Huang Xiaowu
Published: May 2018

Increasing numbers of evidences have demonstrated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in metastasis and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, their detailed expression levels and actual functions in HCCs have not been fully clarified yet. Results from our recent study revealed that some miRNAs were particularly related to metastasis of HCCs. As one of these newly found miRNAs, miR-501-3p showed to highly involve into metastatic process of HCCs. Here we reported that the expression of miR-501-3p was decreased in both metastatic HCC cell lines and tissue samples from HCC patients with recurrence and metastasis. Downregulation of miR-501-3p correlated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in the HCC patients. Results of functional analyses revealed that overexpression of miR-501-3p in HCCLM3 cancer cells inhibited their proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), while miR-501-3p loss in PLC/PRF/5 cancer cells facilitated all these cellular activities. In addition, Lin-7 homolog A (LIN7A) was directly targeted by miR-501-3p to mediate the suppression effects on metastasis in HCC cells. miR-501-3p suppresses metastasis and progression of HCCs through targeting LIN7A. This finding suggests that miR-501-3p could be used as a potential prognostic predictor as well as a potential therapeutic tool for HCC therapies.
P2RX7-MAPK1/2-SP1 axis inhibits MTOR independent HSPB1-mediated astroglial autophagy
Authors: Kim Ji-Eun , Ko Ah-Reum , Hyun Hye-Won , Min Su-Ji , Kang Tae-Cheon
Published: May 2018

Recently, we have reported that heat shock protein B1 (HSPB1) and purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2RX7) are involved in astroglial autophagy (clasmatodendrosis), following status epilepticus (SE). However, the underlying mechanisms of astroglial autophagy have not been completely established. In the present study, we found that the lacking ofP2rx7led to prolonged astroglial HSPB1 induction due to impaired mitogen-activated protein kinase 1/2 (MAPK1/2)-mediated specificity protein 1 (SP1) phosphorylation, following kainic acid-induced SE. Subsequently, the upregulated HSPB1 itself evoked ER stress and exerted protein kinase AMP-activated catalytic subunit alpha 1 (PRKAA1, AMPK1)/unc-51 such as autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1)- and AKT serine/threonine kinase 1 (AKT1)/glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B)/SH3-domain GRB2-like B1 (SH3GLB1)-mediated autophagic pathways, independent of mechanistic target of rapamycin (MTOR) activity in astrocytes. These findings provide a novel purinergic suppression mechanism to link chaperone expression to autophagy in astrocytes. Therefore, we suggest that P2RX7 may play an important role in the regulation of autophagy by the fine-tuning of HSPB1 expression.
MicroRNA-29b/142-5p contribute to the pathogenesis of biliary atresia by regulating the IFN-γ gene
Authors: Yang Yifan , Jin Zhu , Dong Rui , Zheng Chao , Huang Yanlei , Zheng Yijie , Shen Zhen , Chen Gong , Luo Xiaoying , Zheng Shan
Published: May 2018

Biliary atresia is one of the most common liver disease in infancy. The cause and pathogenesis remain largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the potential regulatory effect of miR-29b/142-5p on IFN-γ gene methylation. miRNAs microarray was performed on four pairs of liver and blood specimens from biliary atresia and choledochal cysts. We found the overexpression of miR-142-5p and mRNA level of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 1, and miR-29b and DNMT3a/DNMT3b were significantly negatively correlated in biliary atresia livers. Meanwhile, the methylation of the LINE-1, ALU and SAT2 repetitive sequences and the IFN-γ promoter was lower, but the expression of IFN-γ was upregulated. After transfected with DNMTs siRNAs, downregulation of DNMTs exerted a significant hypomethylating effect on the repetitive sequences, which led to upregulation of IFN-γ in Jurkat cells. The direct interactions between miR-29b and DNMT3a/3b, and miR-142-5p and DNMT1 were identified using luciferase reporter assays. By transfecting mimics of miR-29b/142-5p into Jurkat cells, we found overexpression of miR-29b/142-5p markedly suppressed expression of DNMTs. Furthermore, the methylation of repetitive sequences and the IFN-γ promoter region were remarkably downregulated, and with elevated IFN-γ expression. After transfecting the miRNA inhibitors, the levels of DNMTs and the methylation of the IFN-γ gene promoter region was upregulated, while levels of IFN-γ were markedly suppressed. Our study suggested that miRNA-29b/142-5p overexpression and targeted inhibition of DNMTs expression resulted in decreased overall gene methylation and overexpression of the methylation-sensitive IFN-γ gene.
Gene-by-environment interactions that disrupt mitochondrial homeostasis cause neurodegeneration in C. elegans Parkinson’s models
Authors: Kim Hanna , Perentis Rylee J. , Caldwell Guy A. , Caldwell Kim A.
Published: May 2018

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex multifactorial disorder where environmental factors interact with genetic susceptibility. Accumulating evidence suggests that mitochondria have a central role in the progression of neurodegeneration in sporadic and/or genetic forms of PD. We previously reported that exposure to a secondary metabolite from the soil bacterium, Streptomyces venezuelae, results in age- and dose-dependent dopaminergic (DA) neurodegeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans and human SH-SY5Y neurons. Initial characterization of this environmental factor indicated that neurodegeneration occurs through a combination of oxidative stress, mitochondrial complex I impairment, and proteostatic disruption. Here we present extended evidence to elucidate the interaction between this bacterial metabolite and mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of DA neurodegeneration. We demonstrate that it causes a time-dependent increase in mitochondrial fragmentation through concomitant changes in the gene expression of mitochondrial fission and fusion components. In particular, the outer mitochondrial membrane fission and fusion genes, drp-1 (a dynamin-related GTPase) and fzo-1 (a mitofusin homolog), are up- and down-regulated, respectively. Additionally, eat-3, an inner mitochondrial membrane fusion component, an OPA1 homolog, is also down regulated. These changes are associated with a metabolite-induced decline in mitochondrial membrane potential and enhanced DA neurodegeneration that is dependent on PINK-1 function. Genetic analysis also indicates an association between the cell death pathway and drp-1 following S. ven exposure. Metabolite-induced neurotoxicity can be suppressed by DA-neuron-specific RNAi knockdown of eat-3. AMPK activation by 5-amino-4-imidazole carboxamide riboside (AICAR) ameliorated metabolite- or PINK-1-induced neurotoxicity; however, it enhanced neurotoxicity under normal conditions. These studies underscore the critical role of mitochondrial dynamics in DA neurodegeneration. Moreover, given the largely undefined environmental components of PD etiology, these results highlight a response to an environmental factor that defines distinct mechanisms underlying a potential contributor to the progressive DA neurodegeneration observed in PD.