bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Forensic Analysis of a Contact Lens in a Murder Case
Authors: Zwerling Charles S.
Published: January 2016

Contact lenses have had rare relevance in trials and/or investigations. After 5 years of burial, orbital remnants were retrieved from an exhumed body and subsequently identified as a key piece of material evidence in a murder trial. The exhumed case materials were evaluated under laboratory conditions and were determined to be contact lens remnants. Contact lens fracture and burial simulation studies were performed to provide additional corroboration of the physical findings of the exhumed contact lens remnants. This material evidence was instrumental in providing factual proof refuting the defendant's testimony in the murder trial. A brief history of contact lens composition and use is provided for understanding the methods and observational results. This forensic case study represents the first published documentation of a contact lens from an exhumed body being used in a murder investigation and establishes an operational procedure for future forensic contact lens examinations.
Fast and flexible Bayesian species distribution modelling using Gaussian processes
Authors: Golding Nick , Purse Bethan V.
Published: January 2016

Species distribution modelling (SDM) is widely used in ecology, and predictions of species distributions inform both policy and ecological debates. Therefore, methods with high predictive accuracy and those that enable biological interpretation are preferable. Gaussian processes (GPs) are a highly flexible approach to statistical modelling and have recently been proposed for SDM. GP models fit smooth, but potentially complex response functions that can account for high‐dimensional interactions between predictors. We propose fitting GP SDMs using deterministic numerical approximations, rather than Markov chain Monte Carlo methods in order to make GPs more computationally efficient and easy to use.

We introduce GP models and their application to SDM, illustrate how ecological knowledge can be incorporated into GP SDMs via Bayesian priors and formulate a simple GP SDM that can be fitted efficiently. This model can be fitted either by learning the hyperparameters or by using a fixed approximation to them. Using a subset of the North American Breeding Bird Survey data set, we compare the out‐of‐sample predictive accuracy of these models with several commonly used SDM approaches for both presence/absence and presence‐only data.

Predictive accuracy of GP SDMs fitted by Laplace approximation was greater than boosted regression trees, generalized additive models (GAMs) and logistic regression when trained on presence/absence data and greater than all of these models plus MaxEnt when trained on presence‐only data. GP SDMs fitted using a fixed approximation to hyperparameters were no less accurate than those with MAP estimation and on average 70 times faster, equivalent in speed to GAMs.

As well as having strong predictive power for this data set, GP SDMs offer a convenient method for incorporating prior knowledge of the species' ecology. By fitting these methods using efficient numerical approximations, they may easily be applied to large data sets and automatically for many species. An r package, GRaF, is provided to enable SDM users to fit GP models.
Alcohol Induces Parallel Changes in Hippocampal Histone H3 Phosphorylation and c‐Fos Protein Expression in Male Rats
Authors: McClain Justin A. , Nixon Kimberly
Published: January 2016

Background

Changes in gene expression associated with alcohol‐induced neuroadaptations are controlled in part by post translational histone modifications. Serine 10 phosphorylation of histone H3 (H3S10ph) has been implicated in drug‐induced changes in gene expression; however, ethanol (EtOH)'s effects on H3S10ph have yet to be examined in brain. Therefore, hippocampal H3S10ph was examined after acute EtOH exposure and EtOH dependence.

Methods

Adult male Sprague Dawley rats received an acute exposure of EtOH (0 to 5 g/kg) via gavage. Or, rats were made EtOH dependent by administering 25% w/v EtOH every 8 hours for 4 days following a modified Majchrowicz protocol. In both cases, rats were perfused transcardially and paraformaldehyde‐fixed brains were collected and processed for immunohistochemistry to detect H3S10ph or c‐fos.

Results

Acute EtOH exposure dose dependently altered the number of H3S10ph‐positive (+) cells in the hippocampus. Specifically, 1 g/kg EtOH increased the number of H3S10ph+ cells in all neuronal layers, while 2.5 and 5 g/kg EtOH reduced the number of H3S10ph+ cells, an effect that was confined to the granule cell layer. In EtOH‐dependent rats, the number of H3S10ph+ cells in the granule cell layer was reduced by 66% during intoxication; however, H3S10ph+ cells were increased in all neuronal layers during peak withdrawal. Subsequent examination of c‐fos, a gene known to be regulated by H3S10ph, revealed that EtOH and withdrawal‐associated changes in c‐fos closely paralleled changes in H3S10ph.

Conclusions

These results suggest that H3S10ph regulates EtOH‐mediated changes in c‐fos expression, effects that likely have important implications for EtOH‐induced changes in hippocampal neuronal plasticity.
The Impact of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure on Neuroanatomical and Behavioral Development in Mice
Authors: Abbott Charles W. , Kozanian Olga O. , Kanaan Joseph , Wendel Kara M. , Huffman Kelly J.
Published: January 2016

Background

In utero alcohol, or ethanol (EtOH), exposure produces developmental abnormalities in the brain of the fetus, which can result in lifelong behavioral abnormalities. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) is a term used to describe a range of adverse developmental conditions caused by EtOH exposure during gestation. Children diagnosed with FASD potentially exhibit a host of phenotypes including growth retardation, facial dysmorphology, central nervous system anomalies, abnormal behavior, and cognitive deficits. Previous research suggests that abnormal gene expression and circuitry in the neocortex may underlie reported disabilities of learning, memory, and behavior resulting from early exposure to alcohol (J Neurosci, 33, 2013, 18893).

Methods

Here, we utilize a mouse model of FASD to examine effects of prenatal EtOH exposure (PrEE), on brain anatomy in newborn (postnatal day [P]0), weanling (P20), and early adult (P50) mice. We correlate abnormal cortical and subcortical anatomy with atypical behavior in adult P50 PrEE mice. In this model, experimental dams self‐administered a 25% EtOH solution throughout gestation (gestational days 0 to 19, day of birth), generating the exposure to the offspring.

Results

Results from these experiments reveal long‐term alterations to cortical anatomy, including atypical developmental cortical thinning, and abnormal subcortical development as a result of in utero EtOH exposure. Furthermore, offspring exposed to EtOH during the prenatal period performed poorly on behavioral tasks measuring sensorimotor integration and anxiety.

Conclusions

Insight from this study will help provide new information on developmental trajectories of PrEE and the biological etiologies of abnormal behavior in people diagnosed with FASD.
Sensitivity of GABAergic Tonic Currents to Acute Ethanol in Cerebellar Granule Neurons is Not Age‐ or δ Subunit‐Dependent in Developing Rats
Authors: Diaz Marvin R. , Valenzuela C. Fernando
Published: January 2016

Background

The age of first exposure to ethanol (EtOH), as well as reduced sensitivity to its motor‐impairing effects, are associated with a future predisposition to abuse EtOH. In adolescence, acute EtOH potentiates GABA transmission, including tonic inhibition mediated by δ‐containing extrasynaptic GABAA receptors (GABAARs) in cerebellar granule neurons (CGNs), an effect that likely contributes to EtOH‐induced motor impairment. Prenatal EtOH exposure is strikingly prevalent and is associated with increased EtOH abuse later in life; however, the acute effects of EtOH on GABA transmission in developing CGNs are unknown.

Methods

Using whole‐cell patch‐clamp electrophysiological techniques in acute brain slices, we examined the acute effects of EtOH on GABA transmission and functionally assessed the role of δ‐containing GABAARs in CGNs of preweanling (postnatal day [P] 12 to 14) and postweanling (P28 to 30) male Sprague–Dawley rats.

Results

The magnitude of basal tonic currents were similar at both ages. However, 4,5,6,7‐Tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4‐c]pyridin‐3‐ol hydrochloride, an agonist with preferential affinity for δ‐containing GABAARs, significantly potentiated tonic currents to a larger magnitude in CGNs from postweanlings compared to preweanlings. Conversely, acute application of EtOH (80 mM) significantly increased tonic currents and the frequency of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents to a similar extent in CGNs from pre‐ and postweanlings.

Conclusions

These findings highlight the sensitivity of the developing cerebellum to EtOH. Furthermore, this study demonstrates age‐dependent functional changes in a well‐characterized circuitry that may contribute to the short‐ and long‐term effects of prenatal exposure to EtOH.
Efficient Inference for Longitudinal Data Varying‐coefficient Regression Models
Authors: Li Rui , Li Xiaoli , Zhou Xian
Published: January 2016

Informative identification of the within‐subject correlation is essential in longitudinal studies in order to forecast the trajectory of each subject and improve the validity of inferences. In this paper, we fit this correlation structure by employing a time adaptive autoregressive error process. Such a process can automatically accommodate irregular and possibly subject‐specific observations. Based on the fitted correlation structure, we propose an efficient two‐stage estimator of the unknown coefficient functions by using a local polynomial approximation. This procedure does not involve within‐subject covariance matrices and hence circumvents the instability of calculating their inverses. The asymptotic normality of resulting estimators is established. Numerical experiments were conducted to check the finite sample performance of our method and an example of an application involving a set of medical data is also illustrated.
Late mortality, secondary malignancy and hospitalisation in teenage and young adult survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma: report of the Childhood/Adolescent/Young Adult Cancer Survivors Research Program and the BC Cancer Agency Centre for Lymphoid Cancer
Authors: Bhuller Kaljit S. , Zhang Yang , Li Dongdong , Sehn Laurie H. , Goddard Karen , McBride Mary L. , Rogers Paul C.
Published: January 2016

Late complications affecting Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) survivors are well described in paediatric and adult‐based publications. This study determined the late morbidity and mortality risk for 442 teenage and young adult (TYAs) 5‐year HL survivors, diagnosed at 15–24 years of age between 1970 and 1999, identified from the British Columbia Cancer Registry. Treatment details were abstracted from charts. Survivors and a matched comparison cohort were linked to provincial administrative health datasets until December 2006 and regression analysis was performed, providing risk ratios regarding mortality, secondary malignancy and morbidity causing hospitalisation. Sixty (13·6%) survivors experienced late mortality with excess deaths from secondary cancer [standardised mortality ratio (SMR) 18·6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 11–29·4] and non‐malignant disease (SMR 3·6; 95% CI 2·2–5·5). Excess secondary cancers (standardised incidence ratio 7·8; 95% CI 5·6–10·5) were associated with radiotherapy [Hazard ratio (HR) 2·7; 95% CI 1–7·7] and female gender (HR 1·8; 95% CI 1–3·4). Of 281 survivors treated between 1981 and 1999, 143 (51%) had morbidity resulting in hospitalisation (relative risk 1·45; 95% CI 1·22–1·73). Hospitalisation significantly increased with combined modality therapy, chemotherapy alone and recent treatment era. TYA HL survivors have excess risk of mortality and secondary malignancy continuing 30 years from diagnosis. Radiotherapy is associated with secondary malignancy and current response‐adapted protocols attempt to minimise exposure, but late morbidity causing hospitalisation remains significant.
Innovations in Practice: an objective measure of attention, impulsivity and activity reduces time to confirm attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis in children – a completed audit cycle
Authors: Hall Charlotte L. , Selby Kim , Guo Boliang , Valentine Althea Z. , Walker Gemma M. , Hollis Chris
Published: January 2016

Background

Diagnosing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and young people typically relies on clinical observation and subjective parent, teacher and self‐reports. The subjective nature of reports combined with contradictory or missing data can result in diagnostic uncertainty and delay. The aim of this study was to assess whether the addition of an objective test of attention, impulsivity and activity (QbTest) as an adjunct to standard ADHD assessment could accelerate the diagnostic process in routine National Health Service (NHS) settings.

Method

In a pre vs. post‐test audit design, case records were examined in 40 cases diagnosed without the QbTest [pre‐QbTest group] and 40 cases diagnosed with the QbTest [QbTest group], recording the number of consultations until a confirmed ADHD diagnosis was reached.

Results

Using Poisson regression, significantly fewer clinician consultations (mean 2.18 vs. 3.05; p < .02) were required to confirm the diagnosis of ADHD when the QbTest was used to augment assessment in comparison to standard assessment as usual.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the addition of the QbTest to standard clinical assessment may reduce time to diagnosis and potentially result in cost savings to the NHS. These preliminary data suggest that there is a potentially clinically meaningful benefit of adding the QbTest to routine clinical ADHD assessment and this should be examined next in the context of a randomised controlled trial.
Validation of value of actual micromotion as a direct measure of implant micromobility after healing (secondary implant stability). An in vivo histologic and biomechanical study
Authors: Trisi Paolo , Berardini Marco , Falco Antonello , Podaliri Vulpiani Michele
Published: January 2016

Objectives

The osseointegration process replaces the surgically damaged bone with newly formed bone in contact to the implant surface. This involves some loss of primary stability, which will continue until new bone is formed providing a new stability, known as “secondary stability.” A direct measurement of secondary implant stability appears fundamental to determine the period and modalities for implant loading. The aim of this study was to validate the measurement of the implant micromotion to test secondary implant stability.

Materials and Methods

Twenty‐four 3.8 × 11.5 mm implants (Dynamix, Cortex, Shlomi, Israel) were inserted in sheep iliac crests. The animals were sacrificed after 2 months, and the freshly retrieved bone blocks were immediately fixed on a customized device to calculate the value of actual micromotion (VAM) according to a previously described technique. Implant stability quotient (ISQ) values, reverse torque value (RTV), %bone‐to‐implant contact (%BIC), bone volume percentage (%BV) and crestal bone loss (CBL) were also calculated for each implant. Statistical correlations between VAM and the other parameters were calculated.

Results

Data correlation analysis between the examined parameters showed that VAM significantly correlates (P < 0.05) to RTV, %BIC, ISQ and CBL.

Conclusions

As VAM showed to be statistical correlated to the other parameters of osseointegration, it may be used to clinically check the amount of implant osseointegration, secondary stability and CBL. Future studies are needed to confirm these results moreover. An instrument to measure VAM in the oral cavity still needs to be developed.
Haem oxygenase 1 expression is associated with prognosis in cholangiocarcinoma patients and with drug sensitivity in xenografted mice
Authors: Kongpetch S. , Puapairoj A. , Ong C. K. , Senggunprai L. , Prawan A. , Kukongviriyapan U. , Chan‐On W. , Siew E. Y. , Khuntikeo N. , Teh B. T. , Kukongviriyapan V.
Published: January 2016

Objective

Haem oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) plays important roles in cytoprotection and tumour growth. Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a deadly malignancy with very poor prognosis. The role of HO‐1 in tumour progression in CCA up to now has been relatively unexplored, thus, its possible therapeutic implications in CCA have been investigated here.

Materials and methods

HO‐1 expression in tumour tissues from 50 CCA patients was determined by immunohistochemical analysis and its association with survival time was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Its role in CCA cells in vitro was evaluated by transwell and wound healing assays and suppression of HO‐1 expression by siRNA. Effects of HO‐1 inhibition on gemicitabine (GEM)‐mediated tumour suppression was evaluated in nude mice xenografted with CCA cells.

Results

HO‐1 expression was inversely associated with median overall survival time. Hazard ratio of patients with high HO‐1 expression was 2.42 (95% CI: 1.16–5.08) with reference to low expression and HO‐1 knock‐down expression inhibited transwell cell migration. Suppression of HO‐1 by Zn‐protoporphyrin (ZnPP) enhanced cytotoxicity to GEM in CCA cells, validated in CCA xenografts. Treatment with GEM and ZnPP almost completely arrested tumour growth, whereas treatment with only a single reagent, retarded it. Tumour inhibition was associated with reduction in expression of Ki‐67 and microvascular density, and enhanced p53 and p21 immunohistochemical staining.

Conclusion

High HO‐1 expression was associated with poor prognosis of CCA. Synergistic role of HO‐1 inhibition in chemotherapy of CCA is a promising insight for treatment of this tumour and warrants further investigation.
Molecular and regulatory mechanisms controlling floral organ development
Authors: Stewart Darragh , Graciet Emmanuelle , Wellmer Frank
Published: January 2016

The genetic and molecular mechanisms that underlie the formation of angiosperm flowers have been studied extensively for nearly three decades. This work has led to detailed insights into the gene regulatory networks that control this vital developmental process in plants. Here, we review some of the key findings in the field of flower development and discuss open questions that must be addressed in order to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of flower formation. In particular, we focus on the specification of the different types of floral organs and on how the morphogenesis of these organs is controlled to give rise to mature flowers. Central to this process are the floral organ identity genes, which encode members of the family of MADS‐domain transcription factors. We summarize what is currently known about the functions of these master regulators and discuss a working model for the molecular mechanism that may underlie their activities.
Life stage, not climate change, explains observed tree range shifts
Authors: Máliš František , Kopecký Martin , Petřík Petr , Vladovič Jozef , Merganič Ján , Vida Tomáš
Published: January 2016

Ongoing climate change is expected to shift tree species distribution and therefore affect forest biodiversity and ecosystem services. To assess and project tree distributional shifts, researchers may compare the distribution of juvenile and adult trees under the assumption that differences between tree life stages reflect distributional shifts triggered by climate change. However, the distribution of tree life stages could differ within the lifespan of trees, therefore, we hypothesize that currently observed distributional differences could represent shifts over ontogeny as opposed to climatically driven changes. Here, we test this hypothesis with data from 1435 plots resurveyed after more than three decades across the Western Carpathians. We compared seedling, sapling and adult distribution of 12 tree species along elevation, temperature and precipitation gradients. We analyzed (i) temporal shifts between the surveys and (ii) distributional differences between tree life stages within both surveys. Despite climate warming, tree species distribution of any life stage did not shift directionally upward along elevation between the surveys. Temporal elevational shifts were species specific and an order of magnitude lower than differences among tree life stages within the surveys. Our results show that the observed range shifts among tree life stages are more consistent with ontogenetic differences in the species' environmental requirements than with responses to recent climate change. The distribution of seedlings substantially differed from saplings and adults, while the distribution of saplings did not differ from adults, indicating a critical transition between seedling and sapling tree life stages. Future research has to take ontogenetic differences among life stages into account as we found that distributional differences recently observed worldwide may not reflect climate change but rather the different environmental requirements of tree life stages.
Testing the responses of four wheat crop models to heat stress at anthesis and grain filling
Authors: Liu Bing , Asseng Senthold , Liu Leilei , Tang Liang , Cao Weixing , Zhu Yan
Published: January 2016

Higher temperatures caused by future climate change will bring more frequent heat stress events and pose an increasing risk to global wheat production. Crop models have been widely used to simulate future crop productivity but are rarely tested with observed heat stress experimental datasets. Four wheat models (DSSAT‐CERES‐Wheat,DSSAT‐Nwheat,APSIM‐Wheat, and WheatGrow) were evaluated with 4 years of environment‐controlled phytotron experimental datasets with two wheat cultivars under heat stress at anthesis and grain filling stages. Heat stress at anthesis reduced observed grain numbers per unit area and individual grain size, while heat stress during grain filling mainly decreased the size of the individual grains. The observed impact of heat stress on grain filling duration, total aboveground biomass, grain yield, and grain protein concentration (GPC) varied depending on cultivar and accumulated heat stress. For every unit increase of heat degree days (HDD, degree days over 30 °C), grain filling duration was reduced by 0.30–0.60%, total aboveground biomass was reduced by 0.37–0.43%, and grain yield was reduced by 1.0–1.6%, butGPCwas increased by 0.50% for cv Yangmai16 and 0.80% for cv Xumai30. The tested crop simulation models could reproduce some of the observed reductions in grain filling duration, final total aboveground biomass, and grain yield, as well as the observed increase inGPCdue to heat stress. Most of the crop models tended to reproduce heat stress impacts better during grain filling than at anthesis. Some of the tested models require improvements in the response to heat stress during grain filling, but all models need improvements in simulating heat stress effects on grain set during anthesis. The observed significant genetic variability in the response of wheat to heat stress needs to be considered through cultivar parameters in future simulation studies.
The Contributions of the Ombudsman to Human Rights in Latin America, 1982–2011
Authors: Moreno Erika
Published: January 2016

Democratic institutions, ranging from constitutional provisions and electoral rules to judiciaries, have been important in improving the rights of citizens across the world. If institutions matter for human rights, then it stands to reason that institutions built specifically to protect human rights, like the human rights ombudsman, should matter too. Using a comparative case study approach, this article examines the effect of the human rights ombudsman at the regional level on several human rights measures in Latin America between 1982 and 2011. The results suggest that the presence of an ombudsman, and some of its design features, have had effects on some social and economic rights, in keeping with the broad mandate given to this office.
Electric Field Cycling Induced Large Electrostrain in Aged (K0.5Na0.5)NbO3–Cu Lead‐Free Piezoelectric Ceramics
Authors: Hao Jigong , Xu Zhijun , Chu Ruiqing , Li Wei , Du Juan , Fu Peng , Li Guorong
Published: January 2016

In this work, we studied aging and fatigue behaviors of 1.0 mol%Cu‐modified (Na0.5K0.5)NbO3 lead‐free ceramics with double‐loop‐like characteristic, and found an interesting result of electric field cycling induced large electrostrain in the aged samples. After the “aging” treatment, the hysteresis loop “closes” totally and constricts completely at zero electric field, accompanying with a large nonlinear electrostrain of about 0.26%. More interestingly, the electrostrain in the aged sample is sensitive to the field cycling, which is pushed to a higher level of 0.47% approaching that of some Pb‐based antiferroelectric materials. A microscopic model of the domain switching‐related electrostrain effect is proposed to explain the field cycling induced large electrostrain in the aged samples. It can be identified due to the weakening of intrinsic restoring force for reversing the switched domains, induced by the point defects (defect dipoles) migration aligning along field direction during cycling, evident by the gradually “opened” hysteresis loop with cycling.
Evolutionary and biogeographical history of the land snail family Urocoptidae (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) across the Caribbean region
Authors: Uit de Weerd Dennis R. , Robinson David G. , Rosenberg Gary
Published: January 2016

Aim

Land snails, because of their low vagility, are ideal organisms for probing biogeographical hypotheses. This study is the first to examine the evolutionary and biogeographical history of a group of land snails from the Caribbean region using molecular phylogenetics. It focuses on the family Urocoptidae that displays extraordinary diversity, particularly in the Greater Antilles.

Location

Caribbean region.

Methods

We reconstructed the phylogeny of Urocoptidae based on multi‐locus (partial 28S, H3 andCOIsequences) analyses (MrBayes,BEAST,GARLI) of 65 species, representing 44 recognized genera. Biogeographical analyses of a subset of the time‐calibratedBEASTtrees were made both with (DECandDEC+J analysis inBioGeoBEARS) and without (S‐DIVAinRASP) palaeogeographical assumptions. In theDECandDEC+J analyses we examined the effect of different settings for dispersal between directly connected areas relative to that between areas without direct land connection.

Results

Urocoptidae has been present on the Greater Antilles Arc from at least Middle Eocene onwards. Morphologically diverse and previously unrecognized clades evolved on most Caribbean (palaeo)islands. Jamaica was colonized at least twice. Dispersal multiplier matrices with moderately constrained dispersal between areas without direct land connections describe the phylogeographical history of the family with higherDECandDEC+J lnL scores than uniform matrices.

Main conclusions

Urocoptids constitute an old element of the Greater Antillean biota, predating a proposedGAARlandia landspan connection to South America. The biogeographical history and evolution of Urocoptidae were shaped primarily by the geographical distribution of Caribbean landmasses, in combination with occasional oversea dispersal. Oversea dispersal allowed colonization of palaeogeographically isolated areas, such as Jamaica and present‐day western Cuba, where presumably the absence of ecological competitors led to independent radiations into similar shell types.
Tometes kranponhah and Tometes ancylorhynchus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae), two new phytophagous serrasalmids, and the first Tometes species described from the Brazilian Shield
Authors: Andrade M. C. , Jégu M. , Giarrizzo T.
Published: January 2016

Two new species of Tometes from the Brazilian Shield rapids are described. Tometes kranponhah is endemic to the Xingu River basin, whereas Tometes ancylorhynchus occurs both in the Xingu and the Tocantins–Araguaia River basins. The two species are sympatric in the Xingu drainages and have many similarities in morphology and colouration. Major diagnostic differences are the dark pigmentation on the opercle of T. kranponhah and its distinct snout shape and arrangement of premaxillary teeth. In addition, T. kranponhah is a large fish that is abundant in the Xingu River, whereas T. ancylorhynchus is a medium‐sized fish for which there are few records.
Optimization of an Air‐Drying Process to Obtain a Dehydrated Naranjita (Citrus Mitis B.) Pomace Product With High Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Capacity
Authors: Delgado‐Nieblas C.I. , Zazueta‐Morales J.J. , Ahumada‐Aguilar J.A. , Aguilar‐Palazuelos E. , Carrillo‐López A. , Jacobo‐Valenzuela N. , Telis‐Romero J.
Published: January 2016

The objective of this work was to optimize the effect of drying temperature (DT; 50–84C) and air velocity (AV; 0.48–1.32 m/s) on physicochemical and nutrimental properties of a dehydrated naranjita (Citrus mitis B.) pomace product. A hot‐air dryer and the response surface methodology for data analysis were used. When DT was increased, the time to reach equilibrium moisture decreased. The lowest total color difference was presented at intermediate DT and AV, whereas the highest content of total phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity, and retention of total carotenoids were presented combining high DT and low AV. The drying process increased total phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity, and decreased retention of total carotenoids, compared with fresh material. The optimal area was in the range of 59.51–75.31C (DT) and 0.68–1.25 m/s (AV), obtaining a dehydrated naranjita pomace product with appropriated physicochemical and nutrimental properties, which was used as ingredient for making breakfast cereals, which presented good sensory acceptability.

Practical Applications

The dehydrated naranjita pomace product (DNP) obtained in this study provides an important solution to the problem of the environmental pollution derived from the by‐products that are wasted during the citrus processing. The DNP might improve the nutritional properties in different foods when added as a supplementary ingredient because of its important levels of dietary fiber, carotenoids, phenolic compounds and antioxidant capacity. Additionally, DNP could enhance sensory attributes because it provides an attractive orange color and citrus flavor, making it appropriate for the production of foods such as breakfast cereals, enriched snacks, bakery products, jams and desserts.
Shank3 is localized in axons and presynaptic specializations of developing hippocampal neurons and involved in the modulation of NMDA receptor levels at axon terminals
Authors: Halbedl Sonja , Schoen Michael , Feiler Marisa S , Boeckers Tobias M , Schmeisser Michael J
Published: January 2016

Autism‐related Shank1, Shank2, and Shank3 are major postsynaptic scaffold proteins of excitatory glutamatergic synapses. A few studies, however, have already indicated that within a neuron, the presence of Shank family members is not limited to the postsynaptic density. By separating axons from dendrites of developing hippocampal neurons in microfluidic chambers, we show that RNA of all three Shank family members is present within axons. Immunostaining confirms these findings as all three Shanks are indeed found within separated axons and further co‐localize with well‐known proteins of the presynaptic specialization in axon terminals. Therefore, Shank proteins might not only serve as postsynaptic scaffold proteins, but also play a crucial role during axonal outgrowth and presynaptic development and function. This is supported by our findings that shRNA‐mediated knockdown of Shank3 results in up‐regulation of the NMDA receptor subunit GluN1 in axon terminals. Taken together, our findings will have major implications for the future analysis of neuronal Shank biology in both health and disease.

image

Shank1, Shank2, and Shank3 are major postsynaptic scaffold proteins of excitatory glutamatergic synapses strongly related to several neuropsychiatric disorders. However, a few studies have already implicated a functional role of the Shanks beyond the postsynaptic density (PSD). We here show that all three Shanks are localized in both axons and pre‐synaptic specializiations of developing hippocampal neurons in culture. We further provide evidence that Shank3 is involved in the modulation of NMDA receptor levels at axon terminals. Taken together, our study will open up novel avenues for the future analysis of neuronal Shank biology in both health and disease.
Nurses perspectives on long‐term condition self‐management: a qualitative study
Authors: Wilkinson Mandy , Whitehead Lisa , Crowe Marie
Published: January 2016

Aims and objectives

This study explored nurses' attitudes, views and beliefs about their role in long‐term condition self‐management.

Background

Nurses are well‐placed to assist individuals in long‐term condition self‐management. Yet, there is limited research exploring underlying beliefs of nurses regarding their role in long‐term condition self‐management and how those beliefs may impact on the practice of self‐management.

Design

A descriptive, cross‐sectional qualitative design.

Participants

A purposive sample of nurses (n = 14) working in primary care and secondary care settings in New Zealand.

Methods

One focus group and two interviews were conducted. Data were analysed through thematic analysis by the three authors.

Results

All nurses interviewed described promoting patient self‐management of long‐term conditions and the approaches they took to do so in practice. The nurses described a strong sense of accountability in relation to their practice. They worked to ensure patient follow‐up and referrals as necessary and described themselves as lynch pins in the management of long‐term conditions. Nurses also recognised that patients would engage at different levels in the self‐management process. However, the sense of accountability did raise a question around the balance between professional accountability and responsibility for the management of the condition and the reality of nurses' ability to work with patients as partners in the self‐management of long‐term conditions.

Conclusions

Nurses described both understanding of the importance of promoting patient self‐management but also a strong sense of professional accountability to provide quality care. Nurses recognised that they needed to work to find a balance between these two positions.

Relevance to clinical practice

In order for nurses to work as an advocate to support optimal care it is vital that nurses recognise where patient's boundaries and capabilities lie. Nurses are at risk of blurring the boundaries and may not always support people to make choices that promote and/or maintain “self” control (or autonomy) in long‐term condition management.
Testing Family Stress and Family Investment Explanations for Conduct Problems Among African American Adolescents
Authors: Simons Leslie Gordon , Wickrama K. A. S. , Lee T. K. , Landers‐Potts Melissa , Cutrona Carolyn , Conger Rand D.
Published: January 2016

The recent U.S. recession has resulted in higher rates of unemployment, underemployment, and child poverty, with African Americans disproportionately represented among the financially disadvantaged. Although past research has established the relationship between family financial hardship and various child adjustment problems, African Americans remain an understudied group. In the current study the authors used longitudinal data from the Family and Community Health Study (n = 422), an all African American sample, to investigate the impact of economic distress on adolescent conduct problems. They examined the extent to which this relationship can be explained by 2 frequently employed models: (a) the family stress model and (b) the family investment model. The authors extend past research by assessing the relative contributions of each model while controlling for the paths proposed by the other model. The results suggest that the family processes identified by the family stress model provide a more accurate explanation for why economic hardship is associated with increased conduct problems among African American adolescents.
Long-term administration of tenofovir or emtricitabine to pregnant rats; effect on Abcb1a, Abcb1b and Abcg2 expression in the placenta and in maternal and fetal organs
Authors: Cerveny Lukas , Neumanova Zuzana , Karbanova Sara , Havlova Ivana , Staud Frantisek
Published: January 2016

Objectives

Tenofovir and emtricitabine are very effective and well-tolerated antiretrovirals representing current backbone of the antiretroviral combination regimens for the prevention of perinatal HIV transmission. The aim of our study was to determine whether tenofovir or emtricitabine administered in long-term fashion affect expression of two widely described pharmacokinetic determinants, P-glycoprotein (ABCB1) and breast cancer resistance protein (ABCG2), in maternal or fetal biological tissues.

Methods

For this purpose, pregnant Wistar rats were administered tenofovir (2.25 mg/kg/day), emtricitabine (3.5 mg/kg/day) or saline i.m. for 10 days (from the 12th to 21st gestation day). On the 22nd day, the placenta and maternal/fetal intestine, brain, kidneys and liver were sampled and analysed for Abcb1a, Abcb1b and Abcg2 expression; placental and newborns' weights were also monitored.

Key findings

We found that long-term application of tenofovir or emtricitabine did not significantly affect expression of Abcb1a, Abcb1b and Abcg2 in either maternal or fetal organs. However, tenofovir administration significantly increased placenta-to-birthweight ratio, a strong indicator of various diseases occurring later in life.

Conclusions

Our data broaden current knowledge on safety profile of tenofovir and emtricitabine use in pregnancy. Nevertheless, further research in other mammal species, including humans, is important to fully elucidate this issue.
Bone morphogenetic protein-2 and bone therapy: successes and pitfalls
Authors: Poon Bonnie , Kha Tram , Tran Sally , Dass Crispin R
Published: January 2016

Objectives

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), more specifically BMP-2, are being increasingly used in orthopaedic surgery due to advanced research into osteoinductive factors that may enhance and improve bone therapy. There are many areas in therapy that BMP-2 is being applied to, including dental treatment, open tibial fractures, cancer and spinal surgery. Within these areas of treatment, there are many reports of successes and pitfalls. This review explores the use of BMP-2 and its successes, pitfalls and future prospects in bone therapy.

Methods

The PubMed database was consulted to compile this review.

Key findings

With successes in therapy, there were descriptions of a more rapid healing time with no signs of rejection or infection attributed to BMP-2 treatment. Pitfalls included BMP-2 ‘off-label’ use, which lead to various adverse effects.

Conclusions

Our search highlighted that optimising treatment with BMP-2 is a direction that many researchers are exploring, with areas of current research interest including concentration and dose of BMP-2, carrier type and delivery.
Soil aeration, water deficit, nitrogen availability, acidity and temperature all contribute to shaping tree species distribution in temperate forests
Authors: Piedallu Christian , Gégout Jean‐Claude , Lebourgeois François , Seynave Ingrid
Published: January 2016

Aim

Knowledge about suitable ecological conditions for tree species remains largely incomplete. We aim to quantify and compare suitable environmental conditions for some of the most common tree species in Europe using a modelling approach and a large array of predictors that describe the different dimensions of the environmental niche.

Location

France.

Methods

Using a large database of 46 768 plots distributed across France (550 000 km2), we compared the performance of 61 physiologically relevant predictors that describe temperature, soil nutrient supply, soil water availability and aeration at fine spatial resolution to model the distribution of 32 tree species. To allow some comparisons between species along the same gradients, the most efficient predictors were determined and used to characterize the species requirements.

Results

Mean annual temperature, soil water deficit, soil pH, C/N and temporary and permanent waterlogging gave the best performances. The efficiency of species distribution models based on these six variables was comparable to models calibrated with 61 variables. For the first time, those models provide a unique quantitative framework of homogeneous information concerning the requirements for a large number of tree species.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the importance of soil descriptors to shape plant distribution and allow each species to delineate areas inside the climate envelope with favourable nutritional and moisture conditions. These results emphasize a gap between existing studies on species distribution, mainly based on large‐scale climatic predictors, and empirical knowledge or existing practices where soil is recognized as a main driver.
Follow‐up of patients with chronic hepatitis C and a sustained viral response
Authors: Serfaty Lawrence
Published: January 2016

Patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) after antiviral treatment have improved survival and liver‐related morbidity compared to non‐SVR patients. However, long‐term follow‐up studies in SVR patients have shown that the regression of fibrosis varies and the risk of liver‐related complications remains, even in the absence of cirrhosis. While patients with cirrhosis are still at risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, comorbidities such as diabetes, obesity or alcohol consumption may play a major role in the outcome of liver disease in SVR patients without cirrhosis. The risk of re‐infection is high in patients with a persistent risk of contamination such as IV drug users or men who have sex with men. Thus, in the era of highly efficient DAAs regimens, monitoring after a cure of HCV infection remains a major challenge in SVR patients. This review describes long‐term HCV infection and liver‐related outcomes in SVR patients, as well as the profile of patients who are still at risk of progression, and monitoring techniques including non‐invasive markers for the assessment of fibrosis.
Regional gastrointestinal transit times in severe ulcerative colitis
Authors: Haase A. M. , Gregersen T. , Christensen L. A. , Agnholt J. , Dahlerup J. F. , Schlageter V. , Krogh K.
Published: January 2016

Background

Gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility may present secondary to inflammatory bowel disease. The main aim of this study was to investigate GI motility in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients during severe disease activity.

Methods

Twenty patients with severe UC were studied with a novel telemetric capsule system (3D‐Transit) designed for minimally invasive, ambulatory assessment of total and regional GI transit times. Ten patients were available for follow‐up during remission. Data were compared to those of 20 healthy subjects (HS).

Key Results

Total GI transit time was significantly longer in patients with severe UC (median 44.5 h [range 9.9–102.7 h]) than in HS (median 27.6 h [range 9.6–56.4 h]) (p = 0.032). Additionally, during severe UC, transit time was prolonged through the proximal colon (p = 0.003) and there were strong trends toward longer than normal small intestinal transit time (HS: median 4.9 h [range 3.4–8.3 h] vs severe UC patients: median 5.9 h [range 3.9–11.9 h]; p = 0.053) and colorectal transit times (HS: median 18.2 h [range 1.5–43.7] vs severe UC patients: median 34.9 h [range 0.4–90.9 h]; p = 0.056). Our data further indicate that total GI and colorectal transit times may be prolonged in UC during early remission.

Conclusions & Inferences

Total GI transit times are significantly prolonged during severe UC.
Antibody profiling in ultrasound normal individuals with positive serology for cystic echinococcosis
Authors: Mourglia‐Ettlin G. , Miles S. , Hernández A. , Dematteis S.
Published: January 2016

Cystic echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease caused by the cestode parasite Echinococcus granulosus. In endemic regions, seropositive individuals to E. granulosus usually and markedly outnumber image‐confirmed cases of cystic echinococcosis, suggesting that some parasite challenges derive in unsuccessful infection establishments. However, it is still unknown whether such parasite‐specific antibodies in healthy individuals might play a role in resistance/susceptibility to the infection. Therefore, we have here analysed the profile of antibodies recognizing E. granulosus antigens in seropositive but ultrasound normal individuals, as well as in surgery‐confirmed patients and healthy donors. Our results showed that ultrasound normal individuals exhibited low avidity IgG antibodies, as well as low levels of parasite‐specific IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies. In addition, they displayed significant levels of specific IgE, and thus, they revealed a uniquely high IgE:IgG4 ratio. Moreover, high levels of parasite‐specific IgM were detected in such individuals, which showed characteristics of natural cross‐reacting antibodies. Therefore, our results indicate that ultrasound normal individuals but seropositive for E. granulosus antigens exhibit a distinctive antibody profile. In this regard, possible associations between their antiparasite antibodies and potential resistance mechanisms to cystic echinococcosis are discussed.
Gossiping to music in sixteenth‐century France
Authors: Brooks Jeanice
Published: January 2016

Amid the wide range of programmatic and narrative songs that characterize the sixteenth‐century French chanson repertory, a significant subset deals with images of gossip. Some pieces offer juicy stories told by the narrative voice as if sharing gossip with listeners, while others stages episodes of overhearing, where listeners are imagined as eavesdropping on gossiping women. These pieces share several salient features, including their salacious subject matter, the gender and social status of the gossipers, and the prominent use of nonsense syllables, which act as non‐semantic carriers of sonorous imagery and function to represent animal noises as well as inarticulate cries and exclamations. Composers of gossip songs deploy musical conventions drawn from the arsenal of chanson techniques to comment on the nature of gossip as sound and as sense. This study explores songs of gossip at the borderline of literacy and orality, interrogating not only features of textual and musical construction but also considering the role of such pieces in performance, and asking what purposes were served by these representations of women, lower social groups, and illicit or excessive vocality in these pieces conceived for consumption by educated male elites.
Comparative nonsense: French galimatias and English fustian
Authors: Roberts Hugh
Published: January 2016

Two similar types of nonsense, ‘galimatias’ and ‘fustian’, emerged in late sixteenth‐ and early seventeenth‐century France and England respectively. Although they are far from being the earliest forms of nonsense, they reveal the period's concerns about obscure language and those who speak and write it. While both involve the parody of academic jargon, seen in, among others, Montaigne and Ben Jonson, galimatias and fustian are not limited to this, as they also denote the cant language of criminals and charlatans and are associated with tricksters; they thereby cut across high and low culture. Writers often appear to use them perversely to support poetic and rhetorical standards by playfully showing an extreme to be avoided, as is particularly apparent in Hoskyns's fustian oration performed at the Middle Temple revels of 1597–8. Nevertheless, examples of galimatias and fustian may also hint at the arbitrariness of such standards, prompting a questioning of literary and hence social values that judgements of style are meant to underpin.