bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavioural variation and plasticity along an invasive ant introduction pathway
Authors: Felden Antoine , Paris Carolina I. , Chapple David G. , Haywood John , Suarez Andrew V. , Tsutsui Neil D. , Lester Philip J. , Gruber Monica A. M.
Published: July 2018

Once established in new areas, introduced species may exhibit changes in their biology due to phenotypic plasticity, novel selection pressures and genetic drift. Moreover, the introduction process itself has been hypothesised to act as a selective filter for traits that promote invasiveness.

We tested the hypothesis that behaviours thought to promote invasiveness—such as increased foraging activity and aggression—are selected for during invasion by comparing traits among native and introduced populations of the widespread Argentine ant (Linepithema humile).

We studied Argentine ant populations in the native range in Argentina and in three invaded regions along an introduction pathway: California, Australia and New Zealand. In each region, we set up 32 experimental colonies to measure foraging activity and interspecific aggression in a subset of the study regions. These colonies were subject to experimental manipulation of carbohydrate availability and octopamine, a biogenic amine known to modulate behaviour in insects, to measure variation in behavioural plasticity.

We found variation in foraging activity among populations, but this variation was not consistent with selection on behaviour in relation to the invasion process. We found that colonies with limited access to carbohydrates exhibited unchanged exploratory behaviour, but higher exploitation activity and lower aggression. Colonies given octopamine consistently increased foraging behaviour (both exploration and exploitation), as well as aggression when also sugar‐deprived. There was no difference in the degree of behavioural response to our experimental treatments along the introduction pathway.

We did not find support for selection of behavioural traits associated with invasiveness along the Argentine ant's introduction pathway or clear evidence for an association between the introduction process and variation in behavioural plasticity. These results indicate that mechanisms promote behavioural variation in a similar fashion both in native and introduced ranges. Our results challenge the assumption that introduced populations always perform better in key behavioural traits hypothesised to be associated with invasion success.
Distinct molecular signatures in dissolved organic matter produced by viral lysis of marine cyanobacteria
Authors: Ma Xiufeng , Coleman Maureen L. , Waldbauer Jacob R.
Published: July 2018

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a central role in the microbial ecology and biogeochemistry of aquatic environments, yet little is known about how the mechanism of DOM release from its ultimate source, primary producer biomass, affects the molecular composition of the inputs to the dissolved pool. Here we used a model marine phytoplankton, the picocyanobacterium Synechococcus WH7803, to compare the composition of DOM released by three mechanisms: exudation, mechanical cell lysis and infection by the lytic phage S‐SM1. A broad, untargeted analytical approach reveals the complexity of this freshly sourced DOM, and comparative analysis between DOM produced by the different mechanisms suggests that exudation and viral lysis are sources of unsaturated, oxygen‐rich and possibly novel biomolecules. Furthermore, viral lysis of WH7803 by S‐SM1 releases abundant peptides derived from specific proteolysis of the major light‐harvesting protein phycoerythrin, raising the possibility that phage infection of these abundant cyanobacteria could be a significant source of high molecular weight dissolved organic nitrogen compounds.
Set1 and Kdm5 are antagonists for H3K4 methylation and regulators of the major conidiation‐specific transcription factor gene ABA1 in Fusarium fujikuroi
Authors: Janevska Slavica , Güldener Ulrich , Sulyok Michael , Tudzynski Bettina , Studt Lena
Published: July 2018

Here we present the identification and characterization of the H3K4‐specific histone methyltransferase Set1 and its counterpart, the Jumonji C demethylase Kdm5, in the rice pathogen Fusarium fujikuroi. While Set1 is responsible for all detectable H3K4me2/me3 in this fungus, Kdm5 antagonizes the H3K4me3 mark. Notably, deletion of both SET1 and KDM5 mainly resulted in the upregulation of genome‐wide transcription, also affecting a large set of secondary metabolite (SM) key genes. Although H3K4 methylation is a hallmark of actively transcribed euchromatin, several SM gene clusters located in subtelomeric regions were affected by Set1 and Kdm5. While the regulation of many of them is likely indirect, H3K4me2 levels at gibberellic acid (GA) genes correlated with GA biosynthesis in the wild type, Δkdm5 and OE::KDM5 under inducing conditions. Whereas Δset1 showed an abolished GA3 production in axenic culture, phytohormone biosynthesis was induced in planta, so that residual amounts of GA3 were detected during rice infection. Accordingly, Δset1 exhibited a strongly attenuated, though not abolished, virulence on rice. Apart from regulating secondary metabolism, Set1 and Kdm5 function as activator and repressor of conidiation respectively. They antagonistically regulate H3K4me3 levels and expression of the major conidiation‐specific transcription factor gene ABA1 in F. fujikuroi.
Comparative genomics of a quadripartite symbiosis in a planthopper host reveals the origins and rearranged nutritional responsibilities of anciently diverged bacterial lineages
Authors: Bennett Gordon M. , Mao Meng
Published: July 2018

Insects in the Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera: Suborder) established nutritional symbioses with bacteria approximately 300 million years ago (MYA). The suborder split early during its diversification (~ 250 MYA) into the Fulgoroidea (planthoppers) and Cicadomorpha (leafhoppers and cicadas). The two lineages share some symbionts, including Sulcia and possibly a Betaproteobacteria that collaboratively provide their hosts with 10 essential amino acids (EAA). Some hosts harbour three bacteria, as is common among planthoppers. However, genomic studies are currently restricted to the dual‐bacterial symbioses found in Cicadomorpha, leaving the origins and functions of these more complex symbioses unclear. To address these questions, we sequenced the genomes and performed phylogenomic analyses of ‘Candidatus Sulcia muelleri’ (Bacteroidetes), ‘Ca. Vidania fulgoroideae’ (Betaproteobacteria) and ‘Ca. Purcelliella pentastirinorum’ (Gammaproteobacteria) from a planthopper (Cixiidae: Oliarus). In contrast to the Cicadomorpha, nutritional synthesis responsibilities are rearranged between the cixiid symbionts. Although Sulcia has a highly conserved genome across the Auchenorrhyncha, in the cixiids it is greatly reduced and provides only three EAAs. Vidania contributes the remaining seven EAAs. Phylogenomic results suggest that it represents an ancient symbiont lineage paired with Sulcia throughout the Auchenorrhyncha. Finally, Purcelliella was recently acquired from plant‐insect associated bacteria (Pantoea‐Erwinia) to provide B vitamins and metabolic support to its degenerate partners.
Plant‐Derived Substances Used Against Beetles–Pests of Stored Crops and Food–and Their Mode of Action: A Review
Authors: Spochacz Marta , Chowański Szymon , Walkowiak‐Nowicka Karolina , Szymczak Monika , Adamski Zbigniew
Published: July 2018

Plants are sources of numerous active substances that are used to protect crops. Currently, due to the limitations of using synthetic insecticides, plant products have attracted increasing attention as possible pesticides. In this review, we discuss some of the most interesting plant products (for example, Solanaceae, or Asteraceae extracts,Artemisia absinthiumorCitrus spp. essential oils, and single compounds like α‐chaconine, or α‐solanine) that exhibit insecticidal activity against beetles that are pests of stored food products. Next, we describe and discuss the mode of action of these products, including lethal and sublethal effects, such as antifeedant or neurotoxic activity, ultrastructural malformation, and effects on prooxidant/antioxidant balance. Furthermore, the methods of application of plant‐derived substances in food storage areas are presented.
Abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion: the moderating role of power distance orientation and the mediating role of interaction avoidance
Authors: Peltokorpi Vesa
Published: July 2018

While abusive supervision is shown to have stress‐related effects on abused subordinates, relatively little is known about the factors capable of mitigating these negative effects and their longer term consequences. Drawing on the 1984 transactional model of stress and coping of Lazarus and Folkman, we predicted that subordinates’ power distance orientation moderates the positive relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates’ interaction avoidance, such that this relationship is attenuated as power distance orientation increases. Because the transactional model suggests that interaction avoidance can increase strain when unresolved stressors accumulate over time, we also predicted that subordinates’ interaction avoidance coping mediates the positive relationship between abusive supervision and subordinates’ emotional exhaustion. To examine these hypotheses, we collected data from 600 employees at three points in time over a 12‐month time period in Japan. The findings supported the predicted moderated and mediated relations, and the overall moderated mediation model.
Faecal bacterial communities from Mediterranean loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta)
Authors: Biagi Elena , D'Amico Federica , Soverini Matteo , Angelini Valeria , Barone Monica , Turroni Silvia , Rampelli Simone , Pari Sauro , Brigidi Patrizia , Candela Marco
Published: July 2018

The loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) is the most widespread sea turtle species in the Mediterranean Sea and a relevant pollution ‘flagship species’. Here, we profiled the faecal microbiota from 29 C. caretta from a rescue centre, and explored the impact of several variables linked to both the animal itself and the environment (i.e., tank water ecosystem). We show that loggerhead turtles share more gut microbiota features with carnivorous marine mammals, than with phylogenetically close, but herbivorous, turtles, as a confirmation of the gut microbiota adaptive function to diet and environment. We also highlight a relation between the microbiota composition and the size (and consequently the age) of the turtles. Finally, we point out that the gut microbiota of sea turtles shows unexpectedly low exchange of microbes with the aquatic environment and is resilient to the stress induced by short‐time captivity.
Macrobenthic communities at high southern latitudes: Food supply for long‐distance migratory shorebirds
Authors: Micael Joana , Navedo Juan G.
Published: July 2018

Intertidal soft‐bottom assemblages located at high latitudes provide a critical food source for long‐distance migratory animals which link biodiversity across distant areas. On the southern Pacific coasts of South America, however, comprehensive information about macrobenthic assemblages at these habitats is lacking. Here we provide an inter‐annual estimation of food supply at the southern limit of the Pacific temperate zone within a Site of Hemispheric Importance for the conservation of Arctic breeding shorebird populations during the nonbreeding season. Macrobenthic communities on Isla Grande of Chiloé are dominated by Polychaetes, Bivalves and Malacostraca. Average biomass (4.4–9.6 g ash‐free dry weight m−2) falls within the values reported for temperate intertidal areas located at around 40°S latitude. While total available biomass within each bay was similar during the three sampling years, the annual contribution of each class varied. The major contributor to zoobenthic biomass (Polychaetes) was indeed one of the main preys for the most abundant shorebird species at Chiloé. Arctic breeding migratory shorebird populations seem thus to encounter a predictable and abundant food supply at high southern latitudes on Isla Grande of Chiloé.
Diagnostic point‐of‐care ultrasound: applications in obstetric anaesthetic management
Authors: Zieleskiewicz L. , Bouvet L. , Einav S. , Duclos G. , Leone M.
Published: July 2018

Complications during pregnancy are not frequent, but may occur abruptly. Point‐of‐care ultrasound is a non‐invasive, non‐ionising diagnostic tool that is available at the bed‐side when complications occur. This review covers the use of ultrasound in various clinical situations. Gastric ultrasound can identify stomach contents that put the woman at risk for pulmonary aspiration. In the future, this tool will probably be used routinely before induction of anaesthesia to determine the presence of stomach contents above a particular risk threshold. Difficult tracheal intubation, and the potential for ‘can't intubate, can't oxygenate’, is more frequent in pregnant women. Point‐of‐care ultrasound of the airway allows accurate identification of the cricothyroid membrane, permitting rapid and safer establishment of front‐of‐neck airway access. Combined cardiac and lung ultrasound can determine the potential risk:benefit of fluid administration in the pregnant patient. Such prediction is of critical importance, given the tendency of pregnant women to develop pulmonary oedema. Combined echocardiography and lung ultrasound can be combined with ultrasound of the leg veins to differentiate between the various causes of acute respiratory failure, and guide treatment in this situation. Finally, as shown in the general population, multi‐organ point‐of‐care ultrasound allows early diagnosis of the main causes of circulatory failure and cardiac arrest at the bed‐side. As the importance of point‐of‐care ultrasound in critical patients is increasingly recognised, it is emerging as an important tool in the therapeutic armoury of obstetric anaesthetists.
The Dark Side of Transformation: Latent Risks in Contemporary Sustainability Discourse
Authors: Blythe Jessica , Silver Jennifer , Evans Louisa , Armitage Derek , Bennett Nathan J. , Moore Michele‐Lee , Morrison Tiffany H. , Brown Katrina
Published: July 2018

The notion of transformation is gaining traction in contemporary sustainability debates. New ways of theorising and supporting transformations are emerging and, so the argument goes, opening exciting spaces to (re)imagine and (re)structure radically different futures. Yet, questions remain about how the term is being translated from an academic concept into an assemblage of normative policies and practices, and how this process might shape social, political, and environmental change. Motivated by these questions, we identify five latent risks associated with discourse that frames transformation as apolitical and/or inevitable. We refer to these risks as the dark side of transformation. While we cannot predict the future of radical transformations towards sustainability, we suggest that scientists, policymakers, and practitioners need to consider such change in more inherently plural and political ways.
A Political Ontology of Land: Rooting Syrian Identity in the Occupied Golan Heights
Authors: Mason Michael , Dajani Muna
Published: July 2018

Questions of identity, belonging and place are heightened in societies under protracted military occupation. Bridging scholarship on territorial justice and settler colonialism, this paper examines the impacts of, and responses to, the misrecognition of Arab residents enacted by the Israeli state in the occupied Golan Heights. The injustice of misrecognition entails the imposition on the indigenous population of a Zionist ethnogeography consolidated through Jewish settlements, forced citizenship and discriminatory land and water policies. Focusing on the distinctive agricultural practices by which a Jawlani (Syrian Golani) identity is forged, we highlight the role of sumud (“steadfastness”) as a strategy of non‐violent resistance. Sumud here rests on the mobilisation of communal norms of land and water management, evident in the creation of counter‐infrastructures and water collectives supporting apple orchards. In the face of settler colonial misrecognition, Jawlani rootedness expresses a distinctive ontology on land with a conjoined right of resourcehood.
Impact of previously cured hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) on new development of HCC after eradication of hepatitis C infection with non‐interferon‐based treatments
Authors: Toyoda Hidenori , Kumada Takashi , Tada Toshifumi , Mizuno Kazuyuki , Sone Yasuhiro , Kaneoka Yuji , Maeda Atsuyuki , Akita Tomoyuki , Tanaka Junko
Published: July 2018

Background

The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with a history of curatively‐treated HCC is higher than in patients with no history of HCC even after sustained virologic response (SVR).

Aim

To investigate differences in the patterns of HCC development after SVR in patients with a history of curatively‐treated HCC and those with no history of HCC, based on gadolinium‐ethoxybenzyl‐diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (EOB‐MRI) findings.

Methods

EOB‐MRI was performed in 164 patients with HCV cirrhosis who achieved SVR by interferon‐free direct‐acting antiviral (DAA) therapy just before the start of therapy. Changes in EOB‐MRI findings after SVR were compared prospectively between patients with (n = 62) and without (n = 102) a history of HCC.

Results

The incidence of HCC after SVR was higher in patients with a history of HCC (P < 0.0001). The prevalence of nonhypervascular hypointense nodules (NHHNs) by EOB‐MRI was significantly higher in patients with a history of HCC at baseline (P = 0.05). Although there was no difference in the incidence of the hypervascularisation of baseline NHHNs to typical hypervascular HCC between patients with and without a history of HCC, the incidence of direct emergence of hypervascular HCC despite the absence of NHHNs at baseline was significantly higher in patients with a history of HCC (P < 0.0001).

Conclusion

Direct emergence of hypervascular HCC and a higher prevalence of NHHNs before DD therapy contributed to the higher incidence of HCC after SVR. (UMIN000017020).
Food‐effect study on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels as marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in human volunteers
Authors: Henricks Linda M. , Jacobs Bart A. W. , Meulendijks Didier , Pluim Dick , van den Broek Daan , de Vries Niels , Rosing Hilde , Beijnen Jos H. , Huitema Alwin D. R. , Guchelaar Henk‐Jan , Cats Annemieke , Schellens Jan H. M.
Published: July 2018

Aims

This study aimed to determine the effect of food intake on uracil and dihydrouracil plasma levels. These levels are a promising marker for dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity and for individualizing fluoropyrimidine anticancer therapy.

Methods

A randomized, cross‐over study in 16 healthy volunteers was performed, in which subjects were examined in fasted and fed state on two separate days. In fed condition, a high‐fat, high‐caloric breakfast was consumed between 8:00 h and 8:30 h. Whole blood for determination of uracil, dihydrouracil and uridine plasma levels was drawn on both test days at predefined time points between 8:00 h and 13:00 h.

Results

Uracil levels were statistically significantly different between fasting and fed state. At 13:00 h, the mean uracil level in fasting state was 12.6 ± 3.7 ng ml−1 and after a test meal 9.4 ± 2.6 ng ml−1 (P < 0.001). Dihydrouracil levels were influenced by food intake as well (mean dihydrouracil level at 13:00 h in fasting state 147.0 ± 36.4 ng ml−1 and in fed state 85.7 ± 22.1 ng ml−1, P < 0.001). Uridine plasma levels showed curves with similar patterns as for uracil.

Conclusions

It was shown that both uracil and dihydrouracil levels were higher in fasting state than in fed state. This is hypothesized to be an direct effect of uridine plasma levels, which were previously shown to be elevated in fasting state and reduced after intake of food. These findings show that, when assessing plasma uracil and dihydrouracil levels for adaptive fluoropyrimidine dosing in clinical practice, sampling should be done between 8:00 h and 9:00 h after overnight fasting to avoid bias caused by circadian rhythm and food effects.
Teaching assistant and pupil interactions: The role of repair and topic management in scaffolding learning
Authors: Bosanquet Paula , Radford Julie
Published: July 2018

Background

Teaching assistants (TAs) are taking increasing responsibility for the learning of pupils. A key instructional skill for TAs is the ability to scaffold learning.

Aim

To explore the interactions of TAs in relation to scaffolding as a theory of instruction.

Methods

Observational data in the form of video were collected. Conversation analysis was used to examine these interactions.

Results

Examples are explored where repair of troubles and construction of topic are highly led by the TA. As such, these interactions cannot be seen to constitute scaffolding.

Conclusions

Teaching assistants require training in scaffolding as an instructional strategy, and educational psychologists (EPs) could play a vital role in this respect.
HOTAIR, a long noncoding RNA, is a marker of abnormal cell cycle regulation in lung cancer
Authors: Liu Minghui , Zhang Hongyi , Li Ying , Wang Rui , Li Yongwen , Zhang Hongbing , Ren Dian , Liu Hongyu , Kang Chunsheng , Chen Jun
Published: July 2018

Dysregulation of the cell cycle is a key indicator of tumors, including lung cancer. Recently, the study of cell cycle inhibitors has made great progress in relation to lung cancer. However, the question of what kinds of patients can use cell cycle inhibitors has plagued us. Therefore, seeking an accurate and convenient marker for the abnormal cell cycle in lung cancer is very important. In the present research, we showed that lncRNA HOTAIR is an optimal indicator of cell cycle dysregulation in lung cancer. In the present study, we investigated HOTAIR‐specific expression in lung primary tumor samples by analyzing the TCGA public database and 67 pairs of patients’ tissues collected from our department. Through the TCGA public database KEGG analysis, HOTAIR correlates with the cell cycle pathway. We identified that HOTAIR and its 2 segments, HOTAIR3′ and HOTAIR5′, promote the cell cycle passing through the restriction point during G1‐S phase by regulating the Rb‐E2F pathway and influence non–small‐cell lung cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion through epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the β‐catenin pathway in vitro and vivo. Finally, we showed that the high expression of HOTAIR was associated with resistance to gefitinib through the dysregulated cell cycle. In conclusion, HOTAIR could be an ideal indicator of cell cycle dysregulation and guide the use of cell cycle inhibitors.
The cortisol stress response induced by surgery: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Prete Alessandro , Yan Qi , Al‐Tarrah Khaled , Akturk Halis K. , Prokop Larry J. , Alahdab Fares , Foster Mark A. , Lord Janet M. , Karavitaki Niki , Wass John A. , Murad Mohammad H. , Arlt Wiebke , Bancos Irina
Published: July 2018

Objective

Surgery is a stressor that can be categorized by duration and severity and induces a systemic stress response that includes increased adrenal cortisol production. However, the precise impact of surgical stress on the cortisol response remains to be defined.

Design

We performed a systematic review and meta‐analysis to assess the cortisol stress response induced by surgery and to stratify this response according to different parameters.

Methods

We conducted a comprehensive search in several databases from 1990 to 2016. Pairs of reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data and evaluated the risk of bias. Cortisol concentrations were standardized, pooled in meta‐analysis and plotted over time.

Results

We included 71 studies reporting peri‐operative serum cortisol measurements in 2953 patients. The cortisol response differed substantially between moderately/highly invasive and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Minimally invasive procedures did not show a peri‐operative cortisol peak, whereas more invasive surgeries caused a cortisol surge that was more pronounced in older subjects, women and patients undergoing open surgery and general anaesthesia. The duration of the procedure and the use of etomidate for induction of anaesthesia did not affect the cortisol response.

Conclusions

The peri‐operative cortisol stress response is dynamic and influenced by patient‐specific, surgical and anaesthetic features. However, the available evidence is derived from highly heterogeneous studies, with only two of 71 studies measuring cortisol by mass spectrometry, which currently prevents a precise and reproducible definition of this response.
Patients with a fast progression profile in geographic atrophy have increased CD200 expression on circulating monocytes
Authors: Krogh Nielsen Marie , Subhi Yousif , Molbech Christopher R , Falk Mads K , Singh Amardeep , Nissen Mogens H , Sørensen Torben L
Published: July 2018

Importance

Geographic atrophy (GA) is a progressing atrophy of the neuroretina with no treatment option.

Background

Age‐related malfunction of retinal microglia amplifies response towards age‐related tissue stress in age‐related macular degeneration. Here, we investigated monocyte CD200 expression – the circulating middleman negotiating retinal microglial activity – in a poorly understood subtype of age‐related macular degeneration.

Design

Prospective case–control study.

Participants

Forty‐six patients with GA and 26 healthy controls were included.

Methods

All participants were subjected to a structured interview and detailed retinal examination. Controls were recruited from patient's spouses accompanying them in the clinic to match the groups best possibly. Participants had no history of immune disorders or cancer, and did not receive any immune‐modulating medication. Patients did not have any history or sign of choroidal neovascularization in either eye. Fresh drawn blood was stained with monoclonal antibodies and prepared for flow cytometry to evaluate CD200 expression in monocytes and their functional subsets.

Main Outcome Measures

The percentage of CD200+ monocytes in patients and controls.

Results

We found that monocytes were more CD200 positive in patients with GA compared to healthy age‐matched controls. Then, we explored the potential relationship between CD200 expression and important fundus autofluorescence patterns that predict disease progression. Patients with a high risk of progression (patients with high degree of hyperautofluorescence) had distinctly increased CD200 expression compared to other patients with GA.

Conclusions and Relevance

Our data reveals that abnormal monocytic CD200 expression is present in GA, and in particular among those identified as fast progressors.
No association between sleep apnoea and macular telangiectasia type 2 and its markers of severity and progression: a case–control study and retrospective cohort study
Authors: Lee Martin G , Marshall Nathaniel S , Clemons Traci E , Hunter Michael L , James Alan L , Grunstein Ron R , Nguyen Vuong , Campain Anna , Gillies Mark C
Published: July 2018

Importance

Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia Type 2 (MacTel) is an uncommon, progressive retinal disease usually affecting both eyes. Currently there is no know treatment however with similar comorbidities to Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) there is plausibility of an association which may accelerate disease progression.

Background

To identify an association between MacTel and OSA and whether OSA may result in increased disease progression.

Design

Matched case–control study and retrospective cohort analysis.

Participants

Fifty‐seven patients with MacTel and 165 matched controls from the Busselton Health Study.

Methods

MacTel participants were matched based on age, gender and body mass index (BMI) (and where possible hypertension and diabetes) on a 3:1 ratio with controls from the Busselton Health Study. Participants undertook a sleep questionnaire using a previously validated questionnaire. In a subset sleep apnoea severity was objectively measured via overnight ambulatory polygraphy (30 cases and 83 matched controls; ApneaLink device; ResMed, Sydney, Australia). In a retrospective analysis of the suspected MacTel cases we assessed whether major markers of OSA severity and MacTel progression were associated.

Main Outcome Measures

Apnoea Hypopnea Index along with key markers of MacTel progression.

Results

MacTel patients did not have a higher risk of sleep apnoea when compared to age, sex and BMI ‐matched controls (mean ± SD Apnoea hypopnea index [AHI] cases 9.6 ± 14.7 vs. controls 9.7 ± 10.8, P = 0.95). No markers of disease progression in the cases were associated with any marker of OSA severity.

Conclusions and Relevance

Sleep apnoea does not increase the risk or accelerate the progression of MacTel.
Keratitis antimicrobial resistance surveillance program, Sydney, Australia: 2016 Annual Report
Authors: Watson Stephanie , Cabrera‐Aguas Maria , Khoo Pauline , Pratama Ryanbi , Gatus Barrie J , Gulholm Trine , El‐Nasser Jasmin , Lahra Monica M
Published: July 2018

Importance

Antimicrobial resistance data from bacterial keratitis in Australia are lacking.

Background

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health threat. Bacterial keratitis is an ophthalmic emergency requiring immediate and effective treatment.

Design

Retrospective cohort study of bacterial isolates and antibiotic susceptibility profiles at a quaternary hospital in Sydney, Australia.

Participants

Two hundred and twenty‐four corneal scrapes from patients from January 1 to December 31, 2016.

Methods

Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization‐time of flight (MALDI‐TOF) mass spectrometry identified bacteria. The Calibrated Dichotomous Sensitivity (CDS) method determined antibiotic susceptibilities.

Main Outcome Measures

Isolated organisms and antibiotic susceptibilities.

Results

One hundred and sixty‐eight scrapes of 224 (75%) were culture positive. One hundred and thirty‐one patients had a single organism isolated and 21 had mixed bacterial growth. Of the 157 organisms isolated, 131 (83%) were Gram‐positive and 27 (17%) Gram‐negative. Of the Gram‐positive organisms, 75 (57%) were coagulase‐negative Staphylococci (CoNS), 15 (11%) Staphylococcus aureus (including one methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus [MRSA]) and 8 (6%) Corynebacterium spp. Of the Gram‐negative organisms, 15 (58%) were Pseudomonas aeruginosa. With methicillin‐sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) resistance to chloramphenicol was 21%, ciprofloxacin 7% and gentamicin 7%. With CoNS resistance to cefalotin was 9%, gentamicin 9% and ciprofloxacin 9%. With Corynebacterium spp. resistance was 40% to cefalotin, chloramphenicol 25% and ciprofloxacin 14%.

Conclusions and Relevance

Staphyloccocus spp. and Pseudomonas spp. were the most common microorganisms isolated. There was low resistance to cefalotin and ciprofloxacin for these isolates. More than 90% of these would be covered by current therapeutic recommendations for empiric therapy in Australia.
Linking genetics to epigenetics: The role of folate and folate‐related pathways in neurodevelopmental disorders
Authors: Lintas C.
Published: July 2018

There is growing evidence that epigenetic dysregulation plays a role in neurodevelopmental disorders. In humans, folate is one of the main donors of the methyl group required for the synthesis of S‐adenosylmethionine, which in turn is needed for DNA and histone methylation as key neurodevelopment processes. Folate deficiency during pregnancy has been correlated with neural tube defects and with a higher incidence of neurocognitive and/or neurobehavioral deficits. A similar outcome may be exerted by gene polymorphisms in folate or folate‐related pathways. This has been documented by numerous case/control association studies performed on neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In this regard, the folate cycle represents a “perfect model” of how genetics influences epigenetics. Gene variants in folate and folate‐related pathways can be considered risk factors for neurodevelopmental disorders and should therefore be assessed by genetic testing in pregnant women. High‐risk women should be considered for folate supplementation during pregnancy. Here, we review all published case/control association studies on gene polymorphisms in folate and folate‐related pathways performed on neurodevelopmental disorders, provide an overview of neurodevelopment and DNA methylation changes occurring at this time, and describe the biological basis of neurodevelopmental disorders and recent evidence of their epigenetic dysregulation.
Whole exome sequencing identified a second pathogenic variant in HOMER2 for autosomal dominant non‐syndromic deafness
Authors: Lu X. , Wang Q. , Gu H. , Zhang X. , Qi Y. , Liu Y.
Published: July 2018

Hearing loss is one of the most common sensory disorders worldwide, and about half of all occurrences are attributable to genetic factors. Here, we have identified a novel pathogenic variant in HOMER2 in a Chinese family with autosomal dominant, non‐syndromic hearing loss. This is the second family reported globally with hearing loss caused by a variant in HOMER2. The pathogenic variant c.840_841insC in HOMER2 (NM_199330), segregating with the hearing‐loss phenotype in the family, leads to a premature stop codon producing a truncated protein. The coiled‐coil domain in the C‐terminal of HOMER2 protein is essential for protein multimerization and HOMER2‐CDC42 interaction. We compared the phenotypes in the two families and found that hearing impairment in this Chinese family was more severe. Furthermore, we found that the ability of this insertion mutant type HOMER2 (HOMER2MU) to multimerize decreased more significantly than wild‐type HOMER2 (HOMER2WT) and the reported c.554G>C (NM_004839) mutant HOMER2. HOMER2MU protein tended to be distributed in a diffuse manner, whereas HOMER2WT and the reported mutant HOMER2 tended to cluster together. Our research provides a validating second family for variants in HOMER2 causing non‐syndromic sensorineural hearing loss. HOMER2 homo−/hetero‐multimerization might be the first step in exerting its normal function.
Implant rehabilitation of the edentulous jaws: Does tilting of posterior implants at an angle greater than 45° affect bone resorption and implant success?: A retrospective study
Authors: Malchiodi Luciano , Moro Tommaso , Cattina Diego P. , Cucchi Alessandro , Ghensi Paolo , Nocini Pier F.
Published: July 2018

Purpose

This study aimed to (1) investigate the success of posterior implants tilted >45° when 4 immediately loaded implants were used to support full‐arch prostheses, eliminating any distal cantilever and (2) examine the effect on marginal bone loss (MBL) of different combinations of anterior multi‐unit abutment (MUA) angles and posterior implant tilting angles.

Materials and Methods

Records of patients rehabilitated according to the Columbus Bridge Protocol were analyzed. Peri‐implant bone levels (PBLs) and MBL were measured for each implant. The influence of posterior implant tilting angle on PBL, MBL, and implant and prosthetic success rate was investigated. The impact on the same endpoints of different anterior MUA angles, and different combinations of anterior MUA and tilted posterior implant angles was also examined.

Results

Records of 41 patients were analyzed, for a total of 46 complete rehabilitations, and 142 implants (52 anterior, 63 posterior tilted ≤45° [group 1], and 27 posterior tilted >45° [group 2]). No implants were lost during the follow‐up (25.9 months), and no prosthetic complications were reported. Success rate for posterior implants was 100% in group 1 and 96.3% in group 2. Mean MBL differed significantly between the 2 groups (0.45 mm in group 1, 0.66 in group 2 [P = .04]), but not when the analysis was limited to implants in the same jaw. Implant tilting angle did not correlate with MBL and the MUA angle had no effect on bone resorption around posterior implants, neither in the sample as a whole nor in individual patients.

Conclusions

Posterior implants tilted >45° to eliminate distal cantilever may be as safe as those tilted less in severely atrophic jaws rehabilitated with immediately loaded, full‐arch prostheses supported on 4 implants. Further prospective studies on larger samples of patients and implants and with longer follow‐up are needed to confirm these findings.
A probabilistic model for state sequence analysis in hidden Markov model for hand gesture recognition
Authors: Sagayam K. Martin , Hemanth D. Jude
Published: July 2018

The role of gesture recognition is significant in areas like human‐computer interaction, sign language, virtual reality, machine vision, etc. Among various gestures of the human body, hand gestures play a major role to communicate nonverbally with the computer. As the hand gesture is a continuous pattern with respect to time, the hidden Markov model (HMM) is found to be the most suitable pattern recognition tool, which can be modeled using the hand gesture parameters. The HMM considers the speeded up robust feature features of hand gesture and uses them to train and test the system. Conventionally, the Viterbi algorithm has been used for training process in HMM by discovering the shortest decoded path in the state diagram. The recursiveness of the Viterbi algorithm leads to computational complexity during the execution process. In order to reduce the complexity, the state sequence analysis approach is proposed for training the hand gesture model, which provides a better recognition rate and accuracy than that of the Viterbi algorithm. The performance of the proposed approach is explored in the context of pattern recognition with the Cambridge hand gesture data set.
Unethical authorship practices: A qualitative study in Malaysian higher education institutions
Authors: Olesen Angelina , Amin Latifah , Mahadi Zurina
Published: July 2018

Introduction

To explore academia perceptions and experience with unethical authorship practices in their respective institutions.

Method

21 in‐depth interviews were carried out.

Results

Our analysis revealed variability in experiences with various types of unethical authorship practices among the interviewees. Second, we found that unethical authorship practices are not so unusual among academia although the exact numbers of incidents are unknown due to the fact that such practices are seldom reported. Third, our interviewees revealed that the culture of ‘publish or perish’ could be the main contributor to unethical practices of authorship because publication records are the main criteria for researcher's career evaluation besides, others, which are set by the university.

Conclusion

It was suggested that the institution must play a proactive role in educating and promoting awareness on authorship guidelines, through education and training, ethical leadership as well as promoting the importance of publication ethics.
Intensive multidisciplinary weight management in patients with type 1 diabetes and obesity: A one‐year retrospective matched cohort study
Authors: Mottalib Adham , Tomah Shaheen , Hafida Samar , Elseaidy Taha , Kasetty Megan , Ashrafzadeh Sahar , Hamdy Osama
Published: July 2018

Aims

Recent studies report that approximately 50% of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are overweight or obese. This work studies the effects of intensive multidisciplinary weight management (IMWM) in patients with T1D and obesity.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 68 patients with T1D and obesity who enrolled in a 12‐week IMWM program (IMWM cohort: mean age, 42 ± 11 years; HbA1c, 8.3% ± 1.0%; body weight, 104.3 ± 18.2 kg; BMI, 36.2 ± 4.9 kg/m2). We matched them 1:1 with a similar cohort of patients receiving standard care (SC cohort: mean age, 42 ± 12 years; HbA1c, 8.3% ± 1.0%; body weight, 102.4 ± 17.9 kg; BMI, 36.1 ± 4.7 kg/m2). Data were collected at baseline and at 12 months.

Results

Participants in the IMWM cohort had a body weight change of −6.6 ± 1.8 kg or −6.4% ± 1.6% of their initial body weight, while participants in the SC cohort had no change (P < 0.01 for group*time interaction). Participants in the IMWM cohort had a change in HbA1c of −0.4% ± 0.1% from baseline (P < 0.01), while participants in the SC cohort had no change. There was no difference in glycaemic control between cohorts at 12 months. Total daily insulin dose changed by −5.9 ± 1.8 units/d from baseline in the IMWM cohort while there was no change in the SC cohort (P < 0.01 for group*time interaction).

Conclusions

In comparison to standard care, patients with T1D and obesity who participated in an IMWM programme achieved significant weight loss and significant reduction in daily insulin dose at 1 year. Weight reduction was associated with improvements in glycaemic control compared to baseline.
Sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors and the risk of fractures of the upper or lower limbs in patients with type 2 diabetes: A nested case–control study
Authors: Schmedt Niklas , Andersohn Frank , Walker Jochen , Garbe Edeltraut
Published: July 2018

Aims

To investigate whether the use of SGLT‐2 inhibitors is associated with an increased risk of fractures.

Material and methods

We conducted a cohort study with nested case–control analysis based on the InGef database between November 2011 and December 2016 among patients with type 2 diabetes who were initiating treatment with, switching to, or adding a new class of non‐insulin antidiabetic drug. Patients with a hospital or ambulatory diagnosis of fractures of the upper or lower limbs were included and were matched to up to 40 randomly sampled control subjects. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate confounder adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of fractures, comparing current use of metformin plus SGLT‐2 inhibitor or metformin plus another antidiabetic drug class to metformin plus DPP‐4 inhibitor as reference.

Results

The cohort comprised 210 042 new users of non‐insulin antidiabetic drugs. For the nested case–control analysis, 7522 patients with fractures were matched to 296 845 control subjects. In the crude and confounder adjusted analyses, current use of metformin plus SGLT‐2 inhibitor compared to current use of metformin plus DPP‐4 inhibitor was not associated with fractures (OR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.72‐1.39 and OR: 0.99; 95% CI: 0.71‐1.37, respectively). Similarly, no statistically significant association was found for current use of metformin plus another antidiabetic drug class. No treatment effect modification was observed after stratification by number of documented risk factors for falls and fractures (< 4 vs ≥ 4) and age (< 75 vs ≥ 75 years).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that use of SGLT‐2 inhibitors and other antidiabetic drug classes are not associated with an increased risk of fractures of the upper or lower limbs compared to use of DPP‐4 inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Closed‐loop driven by control‐to‐range algorithm outperforms threshold‐low‐glucose‐suspend insulin delivery on glucose control albeit not on nocturnal hypoglycaemia in prepubertal patients with type 1 diabetes in a supervised hotel setting
Authors: Renard Eric , Tubiana‐Rufi Nadia , Bonnemaison‐Gilbert Elisabeth , Coutant Régis , Dalla‐Vale Fabienne , Farret Anne , Poidvin Amélie , Bouhours‐Nouet Natacha , Abettan Charlotte , Storey‐London Caroline , Donzeau Aurelie , Place Jerome , Breton Marc D.
Published: July 2018

This randomized control trial investigated glucose control with closed‐loop (CL) versus threshold‐low‐glucose‐suspend (TLGS) insulin pump delivery in pre‐pubertal children with type 1 diabetes in supervised hotel conditions. The patients [n = 24, age range: 7‐12, HbA1c: 7.5 ± 0.5% (58 ± 5 mmol/mol)] and their parents were admitted twice at a 3‐week interval. CL control to range or TLGS set at 3.9 mmoL/L were assessed for 48 hour in randomized order. Admissions included three meals and one snack, and physical exercise. Meal boluses followed individual insulin/carb ratios. While overnight (22:00‐08:00) per cent continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) time below 3.9 mmol/L (primary outcome) was similar, time in ranges 3.9 to 10.0 and 3.9 to 7.8 mmoL/L and mean CGM were all significantly improved with CL (P < 0.001). These results were confirmed over the whole 48 hour. Disconnections between devices and limited accuracy of glucose sensors in the hypoglycaemic range appeared as limiting factors for optimal control. CL mode was well accepted while fear of hypoglycaemia was unchanged. CL did not minimize nocturnal hypoglycaemia exposure but improved time in target range compared to TLGS. Although safe and well‐accepted, CL systems would benefit from more integrated devices.
Bargaining With Hard Evidence
Authors: Eső Péter , Wallace Chris
Published: July 2018

This article studies how the presence of concealable hard evidence affects the timing of agreement and the size and distribution of surplus in bargaining. A buyer and a seller receive randomly arriving, verifiable, but concealable evidence about the value of a tradable good. Each party discloses individually favourable information but conceals signals that benefit the other side, giving rise to mutual suspicion; the seller repeatedly posts prices valid for one period. In the leading case of interest with a finite horizon and sufficiently patient players, the equilibrium is characterised by an interval of skimming (a sequence of prices acceptable only to a buyer who has learned that the good’s value is high) concluded by a single settlement period in which agreement is reached for sure. The length of delay until agreement and the corresponding efficiency loss are decreasing in the time horizon and in the abilities of the trading parties to identify the good’s value, but increasing in impatience. An arbitrarily long time horizon leads to immediate agreement if the parties are even slightly impatient and interaction is frequent enough; if the parties are perfectly patient, there is no trade without evidence disclosure.
Timepoints of vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus colonization predict outcomes of acute myeloid leukemia patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation
Authors: Scheich Sebastian , Weber Sarah , König Rosalie , Wilke Anne C. , Lindner Sarah , Reinheimer Claudia , Wichelhaus Thomas A. , Hogardt Michael , A. J. Kempf Volkhard , Kessel Johanna , Martin Hans , Bug Gesine , Serve Hubert , Steffen Björn
Published: July 2018

Background

In hematology and oncology, in particular in the setting of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT), vancomycin‐resistant Enterococcus spp. (VRE) colonization rates are high due to previous hospital stays and preceding antibiotic treatment and colonized patients have a lower overall survival (OS).

Objective

We reanalyzed our previously published cohort, to unravel which colonization timepoints before and during allo‐HSCT might be predictive for the subsequent outcome.

Patients and methods

We report about 268 patients with acute myeloid leukemia receiving an allo‐HSCT between 2006 and 2016.

Results

We identified 129 never‐colonized patients, 15 previously colonized patients (positive only before admission for allo‐HSCT), 41 persistently colonized patients (positive before and at admission for allo‐HSCT), and 83 newly colonized patients (positive only during allo‐HSCT). Persistently and newly colonized patients had a worse 60 months OS due to increased incidence of non‐relapse‐related mortality (NRM) than never‐colonized patients (OS: never‐colonized: 61.0% vs persistently colonized: 43.5%; P = 0.023 vs newly colonized: 45.6%; P = 0.046). In contrast, OS and NRM of never‐colonized and previously colonized patients as well as between persistently and newly colonized patients were similar.

Conclusion

Patients can lose their VRE colonization status and acquisition of VRE during inpatient stay for allo‐HSCT decreases survival to a similar extend as persistent colonization.