bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Co‐parenting in a Highly Conflicted Separation/Divorce: Learning about Parents and their Experiences of Parenting Coordination, Legal, and Mental Health Interventions
Authors: Mandarino Kelly , Kline Pruett Marsha , Fieldstone Linda
Published: October 2016

Sixty high‐conflict separated/divorced co‐parents completed surveys investigating characteristics and dynamics (narcissism, empathy, conflict) that were examined in relation to co‐parenting style and parents' experiences of parenting coordination, legal, and mental health interventions. Study findings for this sample did not support common notions found in the literatures on parenting coordination and high‐conflict divorce that suggest these parents are often narcissistic or low in empathy. Findings pertaining to all high‐conflict participant experiences revealed the presence of common elements across aspects of practitioners and interventions with which they were both satisfied and dissatisfied.
Safety, Satisfaction, and Settlement in Domestic Relations Mediations: New Findings
Authors: Raines Susan , Choi Yeju , Johnson Joshua , Coker Katrina
Published: October 2016

Researchers and mediators have long been concerned about coercion, intimidation, and safety threats that could occur in mediation for cases where previous violence between the parties has occurred. Most of the research focuses on screening tools to identify parties at risk. When parties screen positive for intimate partner violence (IPV), some proceed to mediation and some do not, depending on the policies of individual mediation programs. But this misses a step: Some cases may benefit from mediation while others won't, but how can we predict whether mediation will be useful and safe in specific instances? This study uses survey data obtained from parties in domestic relations mediations to examine issues of safety, satisfaction, and settlement in the presence of various IPV behaviors.
Critical Issues in Relocation Cases: A Custody Evaluator's Response to Parkinson and Cashmore (2015) and Thompson (2015)
Authors: Stahl Philip M.
Published: October 2016

Parkinson and Cashmore () and Thompson () have written comprehensive articles outlining suggested reforms to the family law system in relocation cases. This brief article, from a child custody evaluator's perspective as opposed to researchers' and legal scholars' perspectives, highlights areas of agreement, in hope of leading to increased consensus, as well as areas of disagreement, furthering the discussion and debate of critical issues in relocation matters. Rather than an either/or approach to relocation presumptions, this article will identify a both/and perspective on presumptions for these cases. It will also focus on suggestions for evaluators in an effort to help guide ways that evaluations can be most helpful to the court.
Recombinant B‐domain‐deleted porcine sequence factor VIII (r‐pFVIII) for the treatment of bleeding in patients with congenital haemophilia A and inhibitors
Authors: Mahlangu J. N. , Andreeva T. A. , Macfarlane D. E. , Walsh C. , Key N. S.
Published: October 2016

Introduction

Development of inhibitors to human FVIII (hFVIII) significantly complicates the control of bleeding events in patients with haemophilia A.

Aim

This prospective, multicentre, open‐label, non‐comparative, Phase II study evaluated the haemostatic activity of a recombinant B‐domain‐deleted porcine FVIII (r‐pFVIII), in the treatment of non‐life/non‐limb‐threatening bleeding in individuals with haemophilia A and FVIII inhibitors.

Methods

Acute bleeding episodes in patients with pFVIII inhibitor titres <0.8 BU mL−1 were treated with 50 U kg−1 body weight r‐pFVIII. Those with pFVIII inhibitor titres of >0.8 BU mL−1 received an initial calculated r‐pFVIII loading dose followed by 50 U kg−1 treatment dose. Treatment continued at 6‐hourly intervals until bleeding was determined, controlled or till a maximum of eight doses was reached.

Results

All 25 bleeding episodes in nine patients (mean age: 23.7 years; range: 14–34 years) were controlled successfully with eight or fewer injections of r‐pFVIII. The median time from bleeding onset to the administration of r‐pFVIII was 5.7 h (range: 1.5–20.0 h). Twenty of the bleeding episodes (80%) were controlled with one treatment dose of r‐pFVIII (with or without a loading dose, median dose: 200.8 U kg−1; range: 50–576 U kg−1) regardless of pFVIII level. r‐pFVIII was well tolerated and no treatment‐emergent serious adverse events were considered by the investigator to be related to r‐pFVIII administration.

Conclusion

The results suggest that FVIII replacement therapy with r‐pFVIII could be a viable alternative to bypassing agents for the treatment of bleeding episodes in individuals with haemophilia A and FVIII inhibitors.
Circulating CD14+HLA‐DR−/low myeloid‐derived suppressor cells predicted early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after surgery
Authors: Gao Xing‐Hui , Tian Lu , Wu Jiong , Ma Xiao‐Lu , Zhang Chun‐Yan , Zhou Yan , Sun Yun‐Fan , Hu Bo , Qiu Shuang‐jian , Zhou Jian , Fan Jia , Guo Wei , Yang Xin‐Rong
Published: October 2016

Aim

Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) play an important role in tumor progression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prognostic value of MDSCs for early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients undergoing curative resection.

Methods

Myeloid‐derived suppressor cells were measured by flow cytometry. The correlation between MDSCs and tumor recurrence was analyzed using a cohort of 183 patients who underwent curative resection between February 2014 and July 2015. Prognostic significance was further assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival estimates and log–rank tests.

Results

In vivo, CD14+HLA‐DR−/low MDSCs inhibit T cell proliferation and secretion. The frequency of CD14+HLA‐DR−/low MDSCs was significantly higher in HCC patients (3.7 ± 5.3%, n = 183) than in chronic hepatitis patients (1.4 ± 0.6%, n = 25) and healthy controls (1.1 ± 0.5%, n = 50). High frequency of MDSCs was significantly correlated with recurrence (time to recurrence) (P < 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.034). Patients with HCC in the high MDSC group were prone to more vascular invasion (P = 0.018) and high systemic immune‐inflammation index (SII) (P = 0.009) than those in the low MDSC group. Scatter‐plot analyses revealed a significant positive correlation between the SII level and the frequency of MDSCs (r = 0.188, P = 0.011). Patients with HCC with a high MDSC frequency and high SII level had significantly shorter time to recurrence (P < 0.001) and overall survival (P = 0.028) than those with a low MDSC frequency and low SII.

Conclusions

An increased frequency of MDSCs was correlated with early recurrence and predicted the prognosis of patients with HCC undergoing curative resection. The HCC patients with high frequency of MDSCs should be provided more advanced management and frequent monitoring.
Evaluation of new chlorhexidine‐ and cetylpyridinium chloride‐based mouthrinse formulations adjunctive to scaling and root planing: pilot study
Authors: García‐Gargallo M , Zurlohe M , Montero E , Alonso B , Serrano J , Sanz M , Herrera D
Published: October 2016

Objective

To compare the effect of two newly formulated chlorhexidine (CHX) and cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) mouthrinses after scaling and root planing (SRP) in terms of clinical, microbiological, patient‐based variables and adverse events, with a positive control with the same active components, already marketed and tested.

Methods

A pilot, randomized clinical trial, double‐blind, parallel design with 1‐month follow‐up was conducted. Chronic periodontitis patients requiring non‐surgical periodontal therapy were enrolled and randomly assigned to: (i) SRP and test‐1 (new reformulation: 0.12% CHX and 0.05% CPC); (ii) SRP and test‐2 (new formulation: 0.03% CHX and 0.05% CPC); or (iii) SRP and positive control (commercial product: 0.12% CHX and 0.05% CPC). All variables were evaluated at baseline and 1 month after SRP. Quantitative variables were compared by means of anova or Kruskal–Wallis test and qualitative variables by chi‐square or McNemar tests.

Results

Thirty patients (10 per group) were included. After 1 month, there were significant differences among groups in plaque levels (P = 0.016) as test‐1 showed less sites with plaque than test‐2 (31.15% [standard error‐SE 2.21%] versus 49.39% [SE 4.60%), respectively). No significant differences were found for global patient perception of the product or in adverse effects. Test groups showed better results in levels and proportions (P = 0.022) of Capnocytophaga spp.

Conclusions

Within the limitations of this pilot study, it can be concluded that the newly formulated 0.12% CHX and 0.05% CPC mouthrinse showed larger plaque level reductions, without showing more adverse effects, when compared to the other two mouthrinses, after SRP.
Obesity and hypertension in Australian young people: results from the Australian Health Survey 2011–2012
Authors: Kim S. , Lewis J. R. , Baur L. A. , Macaskill P. , Craig J. C.
Published: October 2016

Background

Few studies have focused on the prevalence of obesity and hypertension among young people (ages 15–24).

Aim

To characterise the prevalence of obesity and systolic hypertension in young people aged 15–24 years across Australia.

Methods

Using data from the 2011–2012 Australian Health Survey, a national cross‐sectional population‐based survey, we included 2163 young people aged 15–24 years. Risk factors were estimated using multinomial logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of obesity increased from 8% to 15% through the ages of 15–24 among males, but the prevalence of overweight and obesity were both 14% for females across all age groups. Low levels of physical activity were a strong risk factor for obesity for both males (odds ratio (OR) 5.95, 95% confidence intervals (CI)1.83–19.36) and females (OR 3.20 95% CI 0.69–14.87). Low socioeconomic status was associated with obesity among females only (first quintile OR 4.65, 95% CI 1.97–10.99). Although the prevalence of hypertension was low (4% males, 3% females), the prevalence of high normal blood pressure was substantial, especially among males (28% males, 14% females).

Conclusions

Overweight, obesity and high normal blood pressure were highly prevalent among Australian young people. Low levels of physical activity were identified as a risk factor for obesity for both male and females. Programmes targeting physical activity participation may need to be tailored differently for males and females, with a focus on females during early adolescence but early adult life for males.
Vector Stochastic Processes with Pólya‐Type Correlation Structure
Authors: Ma Chunsheng
Published: October 2016

This paper introduces a simple method to construct a stationary process on the real line with a Pólya‐type covariance function and with any infinitely divisible marginal distribution, by randomising the timescale of the increment of a second‐order Lévy process with an appropriate positive random variable. With the construction method extended to the multivariate case, we construct vector stochastic processes with Pólya‐type direct covariance functions and with any specified infinitely divisible marginal distributions. This makes available a new class of non‐Gaussian vector stochastic processes with flexible correlation structure for use in modelling and simulation.
Sero‐epidemiologic study of influenza A(H7N9) infection among exposed populations, China 2013‐2014
Authors: Xiang Nijuan , Bai Tian , Kang Kai , Yuan Hui , Zhou Suizan , Ren Ruiqi , Li Xiuying , Wu Jiabing , Deng Liquan , Zeng Ge , Wang Xianjun , Mao Shenghua , Shi Jian , Gao Rongbao , Chen Tao , Zou Sumei , Li Dan , Havers Fiona , Widdowson Marc‐Alain , Greene Carolyn M. , Zhang Yanping , Ni Daxin , Liu Xiaoqing , Li Qun , Shu Yuelong
Published: October 2016

Background

The first human infections of novel avian influenza A(H7N9) virus were identified in China in March 2013. Sentinel surveillance systems and contact tracing may not identify mild and asymptomatic human infections of influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Objectives

We assessed the seroprevalence of antibodies to influenza A(H7N9) virus in three populations during the early stages of the epidemic.

Patients/Methods

From March 2013 to May 2014, we collected sera from the general population, poultry workers, and contacts of confirmed infections in nine Chinese provinces reporting human A(H7N9) infections and, for contacts, second sera 2‐3 weeks later. We screened for A(H7N9) antibodies by advanced hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay and tested sera with HI titers ≥20 by modified microneutralization (MN) assay. MN titers ≥20 or fourfold increases in paired sera were considered seropositive.

Results

Among general population sera (n=1480), none were seropositive. Among poultry worker sera (n=1866), 28 had HI titers ≥20; two (0.11%, 95% CI: 0.02‐0.44) were positive by MN. Among 61 healthcare and 117 non‐healthcare contacts’ sera, five had HI titers ≥20, and all were negative by MN. There was no seroconversion among 131 paired sera.

Conclusions

There was no evidence of widespread transmission of influenza A(H7N9) virus during March 2013 to May 2014, although A(H7N9) may have caused rare, previously unrecognized infections among poultry workers. Although the findings suggest that there were few undetected cases of influenza A(H7N9) early in the epidemic, it is important to continue monitoring transmission as virus and epidemic evolve.
Visual‐Spatial Art and Design Literacy as a Prelude to Aesthetic Growth
Authors: Lerner Fern
Published: October 2016

In bridging ideas from the forum of visual‐spatial learning with those of art and design learning, inspiration is taken from Piaget who explained that the evolution of spatial cognition occurs through perception, as well as through thought and imagination. Insights are embraced from interdisciplinary educational theorists, intertwining and dividing their contributions along Piaget's lines into three interrelated aspects: perceptual, intellectual, and imaginative. In the quest for early literacy, the perception and ordering of universals of form, the formation and wielding of internal intellectual constructs, and the construction of metaphorical and imaginative ideas and creations are all involved in aesthetic growth. With further understanding, the arena of visual‐spatial learning as enhanced by art and design learning, may find more inclusion in general education.
Preventive effect of ipragliflozin on nocturnal hypoglycemia in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with basal‐bolus insulin therapy: An open‐label, single‐center, parallel, randomized control study
Authors: Okajima Fumitaka , Nagamine Tomoko , Nakamura Yuko , Hattori Naomi , Sugihara Hitoshi , Emoto Naoya
Published: October 2016

The efficacy of the administration of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitor or the co‐administration of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitor and dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor to insulin therapy is not well known. A total of 58 patients with type 2 diabetes, admitted for glycemic control, were randomized to basal–bolus insulin therapy (BBT) alone or BBT plus 50 mg ipragliflozin and/or 20 mg teneligliptin. Insulin doses were adjusted to maintain normal blood glucose levels. Plasma glucose profiles were estimated by continuous glucose monitoring before discharge. Required insulin doses were not significantly different among the treatment groups. The frequency of nocturnal hypoglycemia was significantly lower in the groups treated with ipragliflozin (6.5 ± 10.6%) and ipragliflozin plus teneligliptin (6.9 ± 14.3%) than in the group treated with BBT alone (42 ± 43.6%). The administration of sodium‐glucose co‐transporter 2 inhibitor with or without dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor prevented nocturnal hypoglycemia in type 2 diabetes patients with BBT.
A proposed approach for quantitative benefit‐risk assessment in diagnostic radiology guideline development: the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Example
Authors: Agapova Maria , Bresnahan Brian B. , Higashi Mitchell , Kessler Larry , Garrison Louis P. , Devine Beth
Published: October 2016

The American College of Radiology develops evidence‐based practice guidelines to aid appropriate utilization of radiological procedures. Panel members use expert opinion to weight trade‐offs and consensus methods to rate appropriateness of imaging tests. These ratings include an equivocal range, assigned when there is disagreement about a technology's appropriateness and the evidence base is weak or for special circumstances. It is not clear how expert consensus merges with the evidence base to arrive at an equivocal rating. Quantitative benefit‐risk assessment (QBRA) methods may assist decision makers in this capacity. However, many methods exist and it is not clear which methods are best suited for this application. We perform a critical appraisal of QBRA methods and propose several steps that may aid in making transparent areas of weak evidence and barriers to consensus in guideline development. We identify QBRA methods with potential to facilitate decision making in guideline development and build a decision aid for selecting among these methods. This study identified 2 families of QBRA methods suited to guideline development when expert opinion is expected to contribute substantially to decision making. Key steps to deciding among QBRA methods involve identifying specific benefit‐risk criteria and developing a state‐of‐evidence matrix. For equivocal ratings assigned for reasons other than disagreement or weak evidence base, QBRA may not be needed. In the presence of disagreement but the absence of a weak evidence base, multicriteria decision analysis approaches are recommended; and in the presence of weak evidence base and the absence of disagreement, incremental net health benefit alone or combined with multicriteria decision analysis is recommended. Our critical appraisal further extends investigation of the strengths and limitations of select QBRA methods in facilitating diagnostic radiology clinical guideline development. The process of using the decision aid exposes and makes transparent areas of weak evidence and barriers to consensus.
The role of genetics in fisheries management under the E.U. common fisheries policy
Authors: Casey J. , Jardim E. , Martinsohn J. TH.
Published: October 2016

Exploitation of fish and shellfish stocks by the European Union fishing fleet is managed under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which aims to ensure that fishing and aquaculture are environmentally, economically and socially sustainable and that they provide a source of healthy food for E.U. citizens. A notable feature of the CFP is its legally enshrined requirement for sound scientific advice to underpin its objectives. The CFP was first conceived in 1970 when it formed part of the Common Agricultural Policy. Its formal inception as a stand‐alone regulation occurred in 1983 and since that time, the CFP has undergone reforms in 1992, 2002 and 2013, each time bringing additional challenges to the scientific advisory process as the scope of the advice increased in response to changing objectives arising from E.U. regulations and commitments to international agreements. This paper reviews the influence that genetics has had on fish stock assessments and the provision of management advice for European fisheries under successive reforms of the CFP. The developments in genetics since the inception of the CFP have given rise to a diverse and versatile set of genetic techniques that have the potential to provide significant added value to fisheries assessments and the scientific advisory process. While in some cases, notably Pacific salmon Oncorhynchus spp., genetics appear to be very well integrated into existing management schemes, it seems that for marine fishes, discussions on the use of genetics and genomics for fisheries management are often driven by the remarkable technological progress in this field, rather than imminent needs emerging from policy frameworks. An example is the recent suggestion to use environmental (e)DNA for monitoring purposes. While there is no denying that state‐of‐the‐art genetic and genomic approaches can and will be of value to address a number of issues relevant for the management and conservation of marine renewable natural resources, a focus on technology rather than policy and management needs is prone to widen the gap between science and policy, governance and management, thereby further impeding the effective integration of genetic and genomic information into the fisheries management decision making process. Hence, rather than focusing on what is technically achievable, this review outlines suggestions as to which modern genetic and genomic approaches are likely to help address some of the most pressing fisheries management challenges under the CFP.
Quantitative Evaluation of Data Quality in Regional Material Flow Analysis
Authors: Schwab Oliver , Laner David , Rechberger Helmut
Published: October 2016

A method for quantitative evaluation of data quality in regional material flow analysis (MFA) is presented. The principal idea is that data quality is a multidimensional problem that cannot be judged by individual characteristics such as the data source, given that data from official statistics may not be per se of good quality and expert estimations may not be per se of bad quality, respectively. It appears that MFA data are never totally accurate and may have certain defects that impair the quality of the data in more than one dimension. The concept of MFA information defects is introduced, and these information defects are mathematically formalized as functions of data characteristics. They are quantified on a scale from 0 (no information defect) to 1 (maximum information defect). The proposed method is illustrated in a case study on palladium flows in Austria. A quantitative evaluation of data quality provides opportunities for understanding and assessing MFA results, their a priori information basis, their reliability in decision making, and data uncertainties. It is a formal step toward better reproducibility and more transparency in MFA.
Enlarged uterine corpus volume in women with endometriosis: Assessment using three‐dimensional reconstruction of pelvic magnetic resonance images
Authors: Koshiba Akemi , Mori Taisuke , Ito Fumitake , Tanaka Yukiko , Takaoka Osamu , Takahata Akiko , Kitawaki Jo
Published: October 2016

Aim

To assess and compare the uterine volume and endometrium length between women with and without endometriosis, using pelvic magnetic resonance imaging scans.

Methods

In this case–control study, a total of 75 nulligravid women (aged 20–45 years) with regular menstrual cycles whose uterus were free of any surgically confirmed lesions were enrolled. The endometriosis group underwent surgery for endometrioma (n = 39), and the control group underwent surgery for non‐endometrioma ovarian cysts (n = 36). The primary outcome was uterine corpus volume, which was assessed using three‐dimensional reconstructions of preoperative pelvic magnetic resonance imaging scans.

Results

The mean uterine volume was significantly larger in the endometriosis group than in the control group (mean ± standard deviation, 50.9 ± 14.4 cm3 vs 41.7 ± 14.3 cm3; P < 0.01). The longitudinal length and transverse diameter of the corpus and the longitudinal length of the endometrium were also significantly greater in the endometriosis group (all, P < 0.01).

Conclusions

An increase in uterine volume and endometrium length was observed in women with endometriosis.
Mothers' Union Statuses and Their Involvement in Young Children's Schooling
Authors: Ressler Robert W. , Smith Chelsea , Cavanagh Shannon , Crosnoe Robert
Published: October 2016

U.S. schools often expect the educational involvement of parents, which may be facilitated when parents have partners, especially a partner also invested in the child. As such, parental involvement at school and at home could be a channel of the diverging destinies of U.S. children from different families. This study applied fixed effects modeling to the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten Cohort to examine the link between mothers' union statuses and their involvement behaviors. Being partnered appeared to benefit mothers' school and home involvement when children were in the primary grades, with little evidence of an additional benefit from that partnership being marital. A biological tie between the male partner and the child only seemed to matter for mothers' school involvement. These patterns did not vary by family income, maternal depression, or maternal employment, but they were stronger when children were just beginning schooling.
Melatonin and the pathologies of weakened or dysregulated circadian oscillators
Authors: Hardeland Rüdiger
Published: October 2016

Dynamic aspects of melatonin's actions merit increasing future attention. This concerns particularly entirely different effects in senescent, weakened oscillators and in dysregulated oscillators of cancer cells that may be epigenetically blocked. This is especially obvious in the case of sirtuin 1, which is upregulated by melatonin in aged tissues, but strongly downregulated in several cancer cells. These findings are not at all controversial, but are explained on the basis of divergent changes in weakened and dysregulated oscillators. Similar findings can be expected to occur in other accessory oscillator components that are modulated by melatonin, among them several transcription factors and metabolic sensors. Another cause of opposite effects concerns differences between nocturnally active laboratory rodents and the diurnally active human. This should be more thoroughly considered in the field of metabolic syndrome and related pathologies, especially with regard to type 2 diabetes and other aspects of insulin resistance. Melatonin was reported to impair glucose tolerance in humans, especially in carriers of the risk allele of the MT2 receptor gene, MTNR1B, that contains the SNP rs10830963. These findings contrast with numerous reports on improvements of glucose tolerance in preclinical studies. However, the relationship between melatonin and insulin may be more complex, as indicated by loss‐of‐function mutants of the MT2 receptor that are also prodiabetic, by the age‐dependent time course of risk allele overexpression, by progressive reduction in circadian amplitudes and melatonin secretion, which are aggravated in diabetes. By supporting high‐amplitude rhythms, melatonin may be beneficial in preventing or delaying diabetes.
The contribution of termite mounds to landscape‐scale variation in vegetation in a West African national park
Authors: Erpenbach Arne , Bernhardt‐Römermann Markus , Wittig Rüdiger , Hahn Karen
Published: October 2016

Questions

Termite mounds are important sources of local‐scale soil heterogeneity and thereby affect savanna vegetation. Studies contrasting mound and savanna vegetation usually neglect variation between savanna types. We aim to answer the following questions: (1) is mound vegetation consistently different from the surrounding savanna vegetation at landscape scale; (2) is mound vegetation homogeneous across different savanna types; and (3) are differences between mound and savanna vegetation influenced more by nutrient accumulation or clay enrichment in mounds?

Location

Pendjari National Park, northern Benin.

Methods

We analysed the vegetation in 59 pairs of mound and savanna plots in four savanna types. We examined if mounds differed in community composition between savanna types, and from savanna plots using ordinations, and tested for correlations between community composition and soil parameters. We identified characteristic plant species for mounds in each savanna type using the IndVal method. Finally, we evaluated the relative importance of different soil parameters for differences in vegetation between mound and savanna plots using projection to latent structures regression (PLSR).

Results

There were clear differences between savanna types for both savanna and mound plant communities, and in each savanna type, clear differences emerged between mound and savanna vegetation. Community differences correlated with differences in soil parameters in all cases. We identified ten characteristic plant species for mounds, with little overlap between characteristic species from different savanna types. Across savanna types, 63% of the variation in mound – savanna vegetation contrast was explained by variation in nine soil parameters, most importantly clay content.

Conclusion

Even at the landscape scale, the influence of mounds on vegetation depends on habitat context. Thus, local mound vegetation patterns can only be understood considering the influence of different soil parameters in each savanna type. However, enrichment of clay and macronutrients together explain the largest part of the differences between mound and savanna vegetation. Further variation in vegetation composition among mounds is likely driven by biotic interactions and spatial distribution of mounds.
Electrifying the fence or living with consequences? Problem animal control threatens the long‐term viability of a free‐ranging lion population
Authors: Trinkel M. , Fleischmann P. H. , Slotow R.
Published: October 2016

A fundamental problem in conserving large carnivores is habitat destruction, which results in patchy, isolated protected areas. In addition, human–wildlife conflict along reserve borders negatively affects carnivore populations throughout protected reserves. We present pride composition of nine lion prides and lion mortalities on bordering farmland over a 17‐year study in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Although Etosha National Park is fully fenced, lions can – due to poor maintenance of the fence – move freely onto bordering farmland. Conflict with humans caused 48% of mortalities among subadult and adult lions. Most animals killed by humans consisted of subadult males and adult females: 59% of subadult males and 27% of adult females were shot or poisoned along the border of Etosha National Park. The disproportional high killing of subadult males on farmland affected the tenure periods of resident male coalitions. Probably due to a lack of competition from maturing subadult males, adult males held tenure over prides for nearly 7 years, about three times longer compared to other ecosystems, which increases the risk of inbreeding in this population. Such unregulated and unplanned selective mortality may be more widespread, and managers should monitor for negative effects, especially in socially complex species.
Peritoneal dialysis in patients with failed kidney transplant: Single centre experience
Authors: Chaudhri Saurabh , Thomas Alice A , Samad Nasreen , Fan Stanley L
Published: October 2016

Aim

To determine if patients with failing kidney transplants who opt to have peritoneal dialysis (PD) have poor short‐term PD technique survival and increased rates of peritonitis.

Methods

We performed a retrospective analysis comparing 50 consecutive patients starting PD after a failed kidney transplant to 93 incident patients starting PD (matching for age, gender, diabetes causing renal failure, ethnicity and year of starting PD).

Results

The mean follow‐up period was 26 months. PD technique survival was lower for the post‐transplant cohort. However, this did not appear to be related to PD peritonitis risk; infection rate was lower in the post‐transplant group albeit not statistically significant (1 in 23.6 patient months vs 1 in 22.5 patient months). There were no differences in the proportion of Gram positive: Gran negative: Culture Negative infections. The only fungal peritonitis occurred in a Control patient. Results of baseline Peritoneal Equilibration Tests were not different; D/Pcr was 0.69 for post‐TP versus 0.64 for Control (P = ns), and net UF was 250 mL for post‐TP versus 310 mL for Control (P = ns). PET results after 12 months were also similar.

Conclusion

Our study found a small but significantly higher rate of PD technique failure in the post‐transplant cohort, but this did not appear to be related to peritonitis rates or peritoneal membrane function. Further studies are required to explore reasons for PD technique failure in patients who have had kidney transplant, but our study supports the use of PD in selected patient from this cohort.
IL‐17: overview and role in oral immunity and microbiome
Authors: Abusleme L , Moutsopoulos NM
Published: October 2016

Interleukin‐17 (IL‐17) is a multifaceted cytokine with diverse roles in both immune protection and also immunopathology. IL‐17 has a well‐recognized role in immune surveillance at mucosal and barrier surfaces, but also has been increasingly implicated as a driver of immunopathology in settings of autoimmunity and chronic inflammation. The current review introduces basic aspects of IL‐17 biology and examines the protective and pathogenic roles of IL‐17 with a focus on oral mucosal immunity and inflammation. Specific emphasis is given to the role of the IL‐17 response as a catalyst in ‘shaping the microbiome at the oral barrier’.
BK polyomavirus infection in pediatric heart transplant recipients: a prospective study
Authors: Ducharme‐Smith Allison , Katz Ben Z. , Bobrowski Amy E. , Backer Carl L. , Pahl Elfriede
Published: October 2016

BKV infection and nephropathy complicate pediatric HTx, but the incidence and time course of the disease are unknown. We assessed the incidence of BKV infection and its association with kidney dysfunction in pediatric HTx recipients. A single center prospective study compared pediatric (<18 years) HTx recipients, with and without BKV infection, who received an allograft between September 2013 and December 2014. Screening of urine for BKV was performed prior to transplant, and at week 1, and at months 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months post‐transplantation. Serum for BKV DNA was assayed if BK viruria was present. Statistics included Fisher's exact test and Student's t test. Twelve patients were enrolled. Two patients were removed per parent request. Two (20%) had BK viruria and one (10%) had BK viremia. No patients developed BKVN. BK viruria was present within 2 months following transplantation. There were no identifiable risk factors for BKV infection and no statistically significant difference in renal function between the groups; however, there was a trend toward worsening renal function in those with BKV infection. BKV infection can occur early following heart transplantation. Screening for BK viruria should be considered in HTx recipients.
Generation of human organs in pigs via interspecies blastocyst complementation
Authors: Wu J , Platero Luengo A , Gil MA , Suzuki K , Cuello C , Morales Valencia M , Parrilla I , Martinez CA , Nohalez A , Roca J , Martinez EA , Izpisua Belmonte JC
Published: October 2016

Contents

More than eighteen years have passed since the first derivation of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs), but their clinical use is still met with several challenges, such as ethical concerns regarding the need of human embryos, tissue rejection after transplantation and tumour formation. The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) enables the access to patient‐derived pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and opens the door for personalized medicine as tissues/organs can potentially be generated from the same genetic background as the patient recipients, thus avoiding immune rejections or complication of immunosuppression strategies. In this regard, successful replacement, or augmentation, of the function of damaged tissue by patient‐derived differentiated stem cells provides a promising cell replacement therapy for many devastating human diseases. Although human iPSCs can proliferate unlimitedly in culture and harbour the potential to generate all cell types in the adult body, currently, the functionality of differentiated cells is limited. An alternative strategy to realize the full potential of human iPSC for regenerative medicine is the in vivo tissue generation in large animal species via interspecies blastocyst complementation. As this technology is still in its infancy and there remains more questions than answers, thus in this review, we mainly focus the discussion on the conceptual framework, the emerging technologies and recent advances involved with interspecies blastocyst complementation, and will refer the readers to other more in‐depth reviews on dynamic pluripotent stem cell states, genome editing and interspecies chimeras. Likewise, other emerging alternatives to combat the growing shortage of human organs, such as xenotransplantation or tissue engineering, topics that has been extensively reviewed, will not be covered here.
Validation of the prognostic value of MMP‐7 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Tzouvelekis Argyris , Herazo‐Maya Jose D. , Slade Martin , Chu Jen‐hwa , Deiuliis Giuseppe , Ryu Changwan , Li Qin , Sakamoto Koji , Ibarra Gabriel , Pan Hongyi , Gulati Mridu , Antin‐Ozerkis Danielle , Herzog Erica L. , Kaminski Naftali
Published: October 2016

Background and objective

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive disease with poor prognosis and variable clinical course. Although matrix metalloproteinase‐7 (MMP‐7) is emerging as an important IPF biomarker, reproducibility across studies is unclear. We aimed to determine whether a previously reported prognostic threshold for MMP‐7 was predictive of mortality in an independent cohort of IPF patients.

Methods

MMP‐7 concentrations obtained from heparinized plasma samples were determined by ELISA in 97 patients with IPF and 41 healthy controls. The association of the previously published heparin plasma MMP‐7 threshold of 12.1 ng/mL with all‐cause mortality or transplant‐free survival (TFS) was determined, either as an independent biomarker or as part of the modified personal clinical and molecular mortality index (m‐PCMI).

Results

MMP‐7 plasma concentrations were significantly higher in IPF patients compared to healthy controls (14.40 ± 6.55 ng/mL vs 6.03 ± 2.51 ng/mL, P < 0.001). The plasma MMP‐7 threshold of 12.1 ng/mL was significantly associated with both all‐cause mortality and TFS (unadjusted Cox proportional hazard ratio (HR) = 25.85 and 15.49, 95% CI: 10.91–61.23 and 5.41–44.34, respectively, P < 0.001). MMP‐7 concentrations, split by 12.1 ng/mL, were significantly (P < 0.05) predictive of mortality and TFS after adjusting for age, gender, smoking and baseline pulmonary function parameters, in a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. MMP‐7 concentrations were negatively correlated with diffusing lung capacity of carbon monoxide (DLCO) (r = −0.21, P = 0.02), and positively with a mortality risk scoring system (GAP) that combines age, gender, forced vital capacity (FVC) and DLCO
(r = 0.32, P = 0.001).

Conclusion

This study confirms that MMP‐7 concentrations could be used to accurately predict outcomes across cohorts and centres, when similar collection protocols are applied.
Humoral and Cellular Responses to a Single Dose of Fendrix in Renal Transplant Recipients with Non‐response to Previous Hepatitis B Vaccination
Authors: Lindemann M. , Zaslavskaya M. , Fiedler M. , Wilde B. , Heinemann F. M. , Heinold A. , Horn P. A. , Witzke O.
Published: October 2016

Approximately 70% of kidney transplant recipients are non‐responders to conventional hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccines. We examined whether Fendrix™, an HBV vaccine containing 3‐O‐desacyl‐4′‐monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL) as adjuvant, could induce HBV immunity in these patients and compared their vaccination efficacy with healthy controls tested previously by the same assays. We selected 35 kidney transplant recipients who had been vaccinated at least thrice against HBV but had never displayed anti‐HBs antibodies. We re‐assessed their anti‐HBs antibody titres and further determined cellular HBV immunity by proliferation assay and interferon (IFN)‐γ ELISpot. Seventeen recipients did neither display humoral nor cellular immunity and could be tested prior to and at month 1 after vaccination. Of note, HLA antigens associated with non‐response to HBV vaccination (HLA‐DRB1*03 and HLA‐DQB1*02) were over‐represented in these 17 recipients. At month 1 after a single vaccination with Fendrix™, we observed a significant increase in anti‐HBs antibodies (P = 0.02). In seven of 17 recipients, we detected anti‐HBs antibodies ≥10 IU/l (10–264), in four HBV‐specific lymphocyte proliferation (stimulation index of 2.6–8.7) and in one specific IFN‐γ responses (12 spots increment). The vaccination response to Fendrix™ was significantly higher (P = 0.035) than the response to HBVaxPro™ in young healthy controls. In summary, the results show that a single vaccination with Fendrix™ could already induce HBV‐specific humoral and/or cellular responses in ten of 17 kidney transplant patients. Thus, Fendrix™ appears as an efficient vaccine in this patient cohort.
Improved pan‐specific prediction of MHC class I peptide binding using a novel receptor clustering data partitioning strategy
Authors: Mattsson A. H. , Kringelum J. V. , Garde C. , Nielsen M.
Published: October 2016

Pan‐specific prediction of receptor–ligand interaction is conventionally done using machine‐learning methods that integrates information about both receptor and ligand primary sequences. To achieve optimal performance using machine learning, dealing with overfitting and data redundancy is critical. Most often so‐called ligand clustering methods have been used to deal with these issues in the context of pan‐specific receptor–ligand predictions, and the MHC system the approach has proven highly effective for extrapolating information from a limited set of receptors with well characterized binding motifs, to others with no or very limited experimental characterization. The success of this approach has however proven to depend strongly on the similarity of the query molecule to the molecules with characterized specificity using in the machine‐learning process. Here, we outline an alternative strategy with the aim of altering this and construct data sets optimal for training of pan‐specific receptor–ligand predictions focusing on receptor similarity rather than ligand similarity. We show that this receptor clustering method consistently in benchmarks covering affinity predictions, MHC ligand and MHC epitope identification perform better than the conventional ligand clustering method on the alleles with remote similarity to the training set.
Phenotypic Resistance to Disinfectants and Antibiotics in Methicillin‐Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Pigs
Authors: Espigares E. , Moreno Roldan E. , Espigares M. , Abreu R. , Castro B. , Dib A. L. , Arias Á.
Published: October 2016

The aim of this research was to study the phenotypic resistances to disinfectants and antibiotics in strains of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) obtained from Canary black pigs. Analyses were performed on 54 strains of MRSA, isolated in Canary black pigs from the province of Tenerife (Spain); all of them carried the mecA gene. The strains were isolated by means of nasal swab samples of healthy pigs, collected under veterinarian supervision. Bactericidal activity of antiseptics and disinfectants was tested by means of the dilution–neutralization method. Susceptibility to the disinfectants glutaraldehyde, peracetic acid and silver nitrate was assessed, as well as to the antiseptics chlorhexidine, benzalkonium chloride and povidone iodine. Susceptibility to a wide array of antibiotics representing the main groups was determined by means of the disc diffusion method. All the strains demonstrated susceptibility to the disinfectants tested at the recommended concentration, and even to dilutions equal to or lesser than 1/16. The most effective antiseptic and disinfectant were, respectively, chlorhexidine and silver nitrate. With regard to the antibiotics, the strains proved to be multiresistant. All presented phenotypic resistance to the β‐lactam antibiotics ampicillin, penicillin and cefoxitin, as well as to numerous aminoglycosides, tetracycline and trimethoprim–sulfamethoxazole. It was also observed that 61.1% of the strains were carriers of plasmids. Our results underline that in the strains such as MRSA, which show multiple resistances to antibiotics, the antiseptics and disinfectants show great efficacy. Moreover, as other authors also suggest, for the treatment and prevention of infections caused by MRSA, the use of β‐lactam and aminoglycoside antibiotics may be less effective.
Computational Models for Nanoscale Fluid Dynamics and Transport Inspired by Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics1
Authors: Radhakrishnan Ravi , Yu Hsiu-Yu , Eckmann David M. , Ayyaswamy Portonovo S.
Published: October 2016

Traditionally, the numerical computation of particle motion in a fluid is resolved through computational fluid dynamics (CFD). However, resolving the motion of nanoparticles poses additional challenges due to the coupling between the Brownian and hydrodynamic forces. Here, we focus on the Brownian motion of a nanoparticle coupled to adhesive interactions and confining-wall-mediated hydrodynamic interactions. We discuss several techniques that are founded on the basis of combining CFD methods with the theory of nonequilibrium statistical mechanics in order to simultaneously conserve thermal equipartition and to show correct hydrodynamic correlations. These include the fluctuating hydrodynamics (FHD) method, the generalized Langevin method, the hybrid method, and the deterministic method. Through the examples discussed, we also show a top-down multiscale progression of temporal dynamics from the colloidal scales to the molecular scales, and the associated fluctuations, hydrodynamic correlations. While the motivation and the examples discussed here pertain to nanoscale fluid dynamics and mass transport, the methodologies presented are rather general and can be easily adopted to applications in convective heat transfer.
A Distributed Navigation Strategy for Mobile Sensor Networks With the Probabilistic Wireless Links
Authors: Madhag Aqeel , Choi Jongeun
Published: October 2016

Mobile sensor networks have been widely used to predict the spatio-temporal physical phenomena for various scientific and engineering applications. To accommodate the realistic models of mobile sensor networks, we incorporated probabilistic wireless communication links based on packet reception ratio (PRR) with distributed navigation. We then derived models of mobile sensor networks that predict Gaussian random fields from noise-corrupted observations under probabilistic wireless communication links. For the given model with probabilistic wireless communication links, we derived the prediction error variances for further sampling locations. Moreover, we designed a distributed navigation that minimizes the network cost function formulated in terms of the derived prediction error variances. Further, we have shown that the solution of distributed navigation with the probabilistic wireless communication links for mobile sensor networks are uniformly ultimately bounded with respect to that of the distributed one with the R-disk communication model. According to Monte Carlo simulation results, agent trajectories under distributed navigation with the probabilistic wireless communication links are similar to those with the R-disk communication model, which confirming the theoretical analysis.