bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the association between hyperuricemia and coronary artery disease
Authors: Lan Ming , Liu Bing , He Qing
Published: October 2018

The aim of the study was to assess the independent contribution of hyperuricemia to coronary artery disease (CAD) confirmed by coronary angiography (CAG), and to explore associations between serum uric acid (SUA) level and CAD.

We performed a retrospective cohort study of 5069 patients who underwent CAG. Patients were divided into groups: hyperuricemia (n = 1178) versus nonhyperuricemia (n = 3891) and CAD (n = 3433) versus non-CAD (n = 1636).

The incidence of CAD was higher in the hyperuricemia group than in the nonhyperuricemia group (71.5% vs 66.6%, P = .002). Hyperuricemia and CAD were significantly correlated in women (odds ratio = 1.509, 95% confidence interval, 1.106–2.057, P = .009). And there were trends, higher SUA quartiles were associated with higher percentage of CAD (62.3%, 68.0%, 68.9%, and 71.7% for quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, P < .001), and the incidence of 3-vessel disease increased (25.2%, 26.4%, 27.2%, and 31.1% for quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, P = .001) and that of normal vessel decreased (37.7%, 32.0%, 31.1%, and 28.3% for quartiles 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively, P < .001) across quartiles, these trends were found in female group, but not in male group. The SUA level significantly increased as the number of diseased vessels increased (P < .001).

There was an independent correlation between hyperuricemia and CAD in women. A higher SUA level was associated with a higher incidence of 3-vessel disease in women.
Double filtration plasmapheresis in treatment of acute pancreatitis associated with severe hypertriglyceridemia
Authors: Huang Shih-Ping , Toh Ding-Ek , Sue Yuh-Mou , Chen Tso-Hsiao , Cheng Sheng-Wei , Cheng Chung-Yi
Published: October 2018

Rationale:

Severe hypertriglyceridemia is the 3rd-leading cause of acute pancreatitis. Current treatment option for hypertriglyceridemia associated with acute pancreatitis is mainly supportive measures, including adequate fluid supply, pain management, and broad-spectrum antibiotics if necessary. Extracorporeal method by mean of plasmapheresis is effective in reducing serum level of triglyceride. It has been proposed to have therapeutic potential in limited small sample studies.

Patient concerns:

A retrospective review of therapeutic effect of double filtration plasmapheresis in treating hypertriglyceridemia associated with acute pancreatitis was conducted by enlisting 3 patients who meet the criteria for the present study.

Diagnoses:

Three patients met the criteria for hypertriglyceridemia (serum level >800 mg/dL) associated with acute pancreatitis (either with elevated serum level of lipase and/or amylase and/or with computed tomography evidence of acute pancreatitis).

Interventions:

Patients received double filtration plasmapheresis.

Outcomes:

We found that an effective reduction of triglyceride was achieved on an average of 84.7% as a result of a single session of plasmapheresis. All 3 of our patients survived, but needed extended hospitalization.

Lessons:

A substantial clinical trial is required to further assess the effectiveness of plasmapheresis in managing of acute pancreatitis in the setting of hypertriglyceridemia.
Safety of Qigong
Authors: Guo Yu , Xu Mingmin M. , Huang Yuchang , Ji Meiqi , Wei Zeren , Zhang Jialei , Hu Qingchuan , Yan Jian , Chen Yue , Lyu Jiaxuan , Shao Xiaoqian , Wang Ying , Guo Jiamei , Wei Yulong
Published: October 2018

Background:

Qigong, as one of the essential elements of Traditional Chinese exercises, has been used to improve physical and psychological health and combat diseases in China for thousands of years. In recent years, the beneficial effects of Qigong on different medical conditions are becoming more accepted by both patients and health care providers. Although it is a common impression that Qigong and related therapies are generally safe procedures, but the current understanding of its adverse events is fragmented. Thus, we conducted this overview to synthesize comprehensively existing systematic reviews on adverse events associated with Qigong and related therapies, and our findings can be used to informing clinicians, Qigong practitioner, and patients alike on applying such treatments or interventions in clinical treatment and daily life training mindful manner, and provide a guideline for researchers in future.

Methods:

A systematic review of reviews will be performed. A literature search strategy designed by a number of specialists in the fields of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), sports medicine, health information, and Qigong training will be carried out in relevant English and Chinese electronic database. The date range of search will start from inception to the search date. Two reviewers will identify relevant studies, extract data information, and then assess the methodical quality by Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Any types of systematic review that summarized adverse effects related to Qigong and related therapies in human will be included. Any safety-related outcomes will be considered as the primary outcomes of this overview. Where objectives from 2 or more reviews overlap, we will assess the causes of any noted discrepancies between reviews. An overall summary of results will be performed using tabular and graphical approaches and will be supplemented by narrative description.

Results:

This overview will identify any adverse events associated with nonstandardized Qigong and related therapies procedures based on current relevant literature evidence of safety for Qigong.

Conclusion:

Our overview will provide evidence to help synthesize the broad degree of information available on furthering the knowledge, safety, and application of Qigong.

Ethics and dissemination:

Formal ethical approval is not required, as this study is an overview based on the published systematic reviews. The result of this overview of systematic reviews will be published in a peer-reviewed journal or disseminated at national and international conferences.

PROSPERO registration number:

PROSPERO CRD42018109409
Clinical results for combination of fibrin glue and nasal margin suture fixation for attaching conjunctival autografts after pterygium excision in Chinese pterygium patients
Authors: Huang Xiaodan , Zhu Binbin , Lin Lin , Jin Xiuming
Published: October 2018

This study was designed to compare postoperative complications and postoperative discomfort when using glue combined with nasal margin suture fixation versus fibrin glue or sutures alone to attach conjunctival autografts among Chinese patients during pterygium excisions.

We analyzed the medical records of 150 eyes of 150 patients with primary pterygium, in which the autografts were secured by 3 different methods after pterygium excision: 50 eyes were secured with fibrin glue, 50 eyes were secured with glue + nasal sutures, and 50 eyes were secured with sutures. The more than 6 months of follow-up observation data included postoperative complications (graft loss/displacement, dehiscence, proliferative granuloma, inflammation, and hemorrhage), recurrence, and postoperative discomfort. A logistic regression procedure was conducted to evaluate the relationship between graft complications and the pterygium grade.

Graft loss/displacement occurred in 3 patients (6%) in the glue group. Graft dehiscence occurred in 8 patients (16%) in the glue group (P < .001), with 2 developing into proliferative granuloma, compared with none in the glue + nasal sutures group and the sutures group at the 3-month postoperative follow-up. Pterygium recurrence occurred in 1 patient (2.2%) in the glue group and 2 patients (4.4%) in the sutures group, compared with none in the glue + nasal sutures group at the 6 to 9 month postoperative follow-up (P = .315). There were fewer postoperative symptoms (pain, foreign body sensation, and tearing) at days 1 and 7 in the fibrin glue and glue + nasal sutures groups than in the sutures group (P < .01). The pterygium grade was a significant risk factor for graft complications (Odd ratio, OR: 5.98, Confidence interval, CI: 1.193–29.992, P = .03) in the glue group.

The modified conjunctival autograft fixation with glue + sutures on the nasal margin resulted in more stable grafts and less graft-associated complications. There was a low level of postoperative patient discomfort in the glue + sutures group. A higher grade of pterygium led to an increased rate of complications in the glue group.
Multislice spiral computed tomography signs of invasion of the renal capsule by renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Yanman , Tian Hao , Zhang Siqi , Zhang Qing , Wu Xianhua
Published: October 2018

Capsular invasion is frequently detected in localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) specimens and is associated with a poor prognosis, but the pretreatment imaging features are poorly known. This study aimed to explore the positions and margin types of RCC and various computed tomography (CT) signs, as well as the correlations with the presence/absence of RCC invasion of the renal capsule.

This was a retrospective study of 158 consecutive patients treated for pathologically confirmed RCC between January 2013 and December 2016 at the Nantong University Affiliated Hospital. The patients were divided into the capsule invasion and noninvasion groups. The CT signs were analyzed (position type, margin type, and CT findings in the perirenal fat).

There were 92 (58.2%) men and 66 (41.8%) women; mean age was 59.1 ± 12.8. Renal capsule invasion was confirmed in 45 cases. There was no difference in the position types between the 2 groups (all P > .05). The smooth margin was more common in the noninvasion group (53.1% vs 15.6%, P < .01). The deep lobulated type and the saw tooth sign were more common in the invasion group (57.8% vs 7.1%; and 40.0% vs 6.2%; both P < .01). The deep lobulated (OR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.21–3.39, P = .007) and saw tooth (OR = 1.036, 95%CI: 1.008–1.065, P = .011) signs were independently associated with renal capsule invasion.

Smooth tumor margin suggests the absence of renal capsule invasion, while the deep lobulated and the saw tooth signs strongly suggest the presence of renal capsule invasion in patients with RCC.
Large mesenteric hematoma after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for pancreatic stones
Authors: Liu Yu , Hao Lu , Wang Li-Sheng , Wang Teng , Li Zhao-Shen , Hu Liang-Hao , Xu Zheng-Lei
Published: October 2018

Rationale:

Mesenteric hematoma after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for pancreatic stones is a very rare complication which has never been reported before.

Presenting concerns:

We reported a case of a 36-year-old male diagnosed as chronic pancreatitis with pancreatic stones and a large pancreatic pseudocyst. He underwent 3 repeated sessions of pancreatic ESWL (P-ESWL). After the last session of P-ESWL, he complained of dizziness. Physical examination revealed a large mass in the right abdomen.

Diagnosis:

Emergent upper abdominal computerized tomography (CT) revealed this mass is a mesenteric hematoma with the size of 8.2 cm × 11.7 cm in the right abdominal cavity after P-ESWL and there was no sign of intestinal obstruction.

Interventions:

With close monitoring of vital signs, the patient received conservative treatment for several days. Dynamic abdominal ultrasound monitoring revealed the mesenteric hematoma had organized.

Outcomes:

Vital signs of the patient were stable after fluid transfusion. Three-month follow-up CT showed the mesenteric hematoma had absorbed completely.

Lessons:

Mesenteric hematoma rarely occurs after P-ESWL and it alerts us the importance of considering uncommon complications after P-ESWL. If mesenteric hematoma occurs after P-ESWL, conservative treatment could be the first choice while surgery can also be considered.
Recurrent thrombosis after carotid endarterectomy secondary to activated protein C resistance and essential thrombocytosis
Authors: Huh In Young , Han Il Sang , Lee Hyung Kwan , Shin Yong Joon , Lee Jae Min
Published: October 2018

Rationale:

Thrombosis is a major cause of morbidity in the perioperative period. Although many risk factors are known, activated protein C resistance is a prominent risk for thrombosis. Activated protein C resistance frequently occurs with recurrent thromboembolism.

Patient concerns:

A 59-year-old Korean woman patient with hypertension was admitted due to dysarthria and left side motor weakness.

Diagnosis and interventions:

Magnetic resonance imaging showed subacute cerebral infarction with right frontoparietal lobe and stenosis at the right internal carotid artery. She underwent right carotid endarterectomy under general anesthesia. However, recurrent thrombosis on postoperative day 1 was noted at patient's right carotid artery, which prompted emergency surgery. Additional preoperative laboratory review revealed findings for activated protein C resistance, low protein S activity, antinuclear antibody (>1:160), anti-cardiolipin IgM antibody (16.6), and thrombocytosis, Janus kinase and factor V Leiden mutations. At the intensive care unit, heparin was continually infused until postoperative day 12 and was then switched to warfarin.

Outcomes:

Patient was discharged at postoperative day 21 without any event. Patient had no signs of recurrence within the 3-year follow-up period, and she is still on oral warfarin and clopidogrel.

Lessons:

Screening test for hypercoagulability can be used to identify patients at higher risk of postoperative complications. If hypercoagulability state is confirmed by laboratory testing, a suitable anticoagulant treatment plan should be made within the perioperative period.
Safety Implications for the Homebound Patient With Dementia
Authors: Green Young Sam
Published: October 2018

Patients with dementia have unique safety needs due to cognitive and behavioral changes associated with dementia. Because the prevalence of dementia is expected to greatly increase with an aging population, and because an estimated 70% of people with dementia live at home, it is essential that healthcare providers receive adequate training on the special needs of this population. This article will discuss home safety interventions with regard to: 1) risk of falling, 2) kitchen use and food safety, 3) medication safety, and 4) wandering and personal safety. A successful health program must include ongoing evaluation of the patient's risk profile with regard to health issues, physical and cognitive deficits, medications, and physical environment. Risks can be accepted, addressed, or actively remediated as appropriate. Good interventions should promote acceptable patient behavior and engage assistive personnel to achieve the desired outcome. To promote safety, the home environment can be modified to encourage positive behaviors and to discourage potentially harmful behaviors. Communication between the patient, trained healthcare providers, and family caregivers is essential.
Personalized 3D-Printed Transparent Liver Model Using the Hepatobiliary Phase MRI
Authors: Joo Ijin , Kim Jung Hoon , Park Sang Joon , Lee Kyoungbun , Yi Nam-Joon , Han Joon Koo
Published: October 2018

Purpose

The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of a personalized, 3-dimensional (3D)–printed, transparent liver model with focal liver lesions (FLLs) for lesion-by-lesion imaging-pathologic matching.

Materials and Methods

This preliminary, prospective study was approved by our institutional review board, and written informed consent was obtained. Twenty patients (male-to-female ratio, 13:7; mean age, 56 years) with multiple FLLs, including at least one presumed malignant, or an indeterminate lesion 10 mm or less on the preoperative gadoxetic acid–enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), were included. After digital segmentation of hepatobiliary phase MRI, a transparent, 3D-printed liver model with colored anatomical structures and FLLs was produced. During the gross examination of the liver specimen, the per-lesion detection rates were compared between those without (routine protocol) and those with the aid of the 3D-printed liver model.

Results

Among 98 MRI-detected FLLs (11.5 ± 12.5 mm), the per-lesion detection rate on gross examination using the 3D-printed liver model was 99.0% (97/98), which was significantly higher than that obtained on routine examination (82.7% [81/98]; P < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, according to the tumor size, 23.9% (16/67) of FLLs 10 mm or less were additionally detected using the liver model, whereas none were additionally detected in greater than 10 mm. The additionally detected 16 FLLs in 12 patients included histologic diagnoses of viable metastases, pathologic complete response of metastases, hepatocellular carcinomas, focal nodular hyperplasia–like nodules, and hemangiomas.

Conclusions

A personalized, 3D-printed liver model with FLLs may improve the lesion-by-lesion imaging-pathologic matching for small FLLs, thus leading to accurate pathologic tumor staging and obtaining a reliable reference for imaging-detected FLLs.
Incidence, Patient Characteristics, Mode of Drug Delivery, and Outcomes of Septic Shock Patients Treated With Vasopressors in the Arise Trial
Authors: Udy Andrew A. , Finnis Mark , Jones Daryl , Delaney Anthony , Macdonald Stephen , Bellomo Rinaldo , Peake Sandra
Published: October 2018

Introduction:

To describe the utilization of vasopressors (VP) in patients enrolled in the Australasian Resuscitation In Sepsis Evaluation (ARISE) trial, and to explore the association between time to VP and 90-day mortality.

Methods:

The primary exposure variable was VP use after arrival in the emergency department (ED). Vasoactive agents considered as VP included: norepinephrine, epinephrine, metaraminol, or vasopressin. Time-to-event analysis, multivariable logistic regression, and propensity-matched treatment effects modeling were used to assess the association between time to VP and 90-day mortality.

Results:

In total 1,102 of 1,588 patients (69%) in ARISE received VP at any point. The median [interquartile range (IQR)] time from ED presentation to commencing VP was 4.4 [2.7, 7.1] h, and 38% did so prior to central venous access. The median [IQR] volume of intravenous (i.v.) fluid administered prior to commencing VP was 3.1 [2.3, 4.3] L. Increasing age and volume of i.v. fluid therapy were associated with a lower likelihood of commencing VP early (within 4 h of ED presentation), while greater illness severity was associated with a higher likelihood, P < 0.001, respectively. In those who subsequently died within 90 days, the sub-hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for commencing VP was 1.4 (1.20, 1.68), P < 0.001, adjusted for age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score, study group, inclusion criteria, plasma lactate, i.v. fluid prior to VP, study institution, and site of infection.

Discussion:

50% of the ARISE cohort commenced VP within 4.4 h of ED presentation, and many did so prior to central venous access. Earlier initiation of VP was associated with greater crude and adjusted 90-day mortality.
Resource dispersion influences dispersal evolution of highly insulated insect communities
Authors: Venkateswaran Vignesh , Kumble Anusha L. K. , Borges Renee M.
Published: October 2018

Communities in which species are obligately associated with a single host are ideal to test adaptive responses of community traits to host-imposed selection because such communities are often highly insulated. Fig species provide oviposition resources to co-evolved fig-wasp communities. Dispersing fig-wasp communities move from one host plant to another for oviposition. We compared the spatial dispersion of two fig species and the dispersal capacities of their multitrophic wasp communities. Dispersal capacities were assessed by measuring vital dispersal correlates, namely tethered flight durations, somatic lipid contents and resting metabolic rates. We suggest that dispersal-trait distributions of congeneric wasp species across the communities are an adaptive response to host plant dispersion. Larger dispersal capacities of the entire multitrophic community are related to more widely dispersed resources. Our results provide evidence and a novel perspective for understanding the potential role of adaptation in whole-community dispersal-trait distributions.
Social cues can push amphibious fish to their thermal limits
Authors: Currie Suzanne , Tattersall Glenn J.
Published: October 2018

Social context can impact how animals respond to changes in their physical environment. We used an aggressive, amphibious fish, the mangrove rivulus (
Kryptolebias marmoratus
) with environmentally determined sociality to test the hypothesis that social interactions would push fish to their thermal limits. We capitalized on the propensity of rivulus to emerge from warming water and demonstrated that social stimuli, produced by their reflection, increased emersion threshold without changing the critical thermal maximum, effectively diminishing thermal safety margins. When rivulus were denied air access, surface behaviours dramatically increased, supplanting social interactions. This suggests that assessing the terrestrial environment is crucially important. We conclude that social stimulation narrows the scope for survival in naturally stressful conditions.
Walking crowds on a shaky surface: stable walkers discover Millennium Bridge oscillations with and without pedestrian synchrony
Authors: Joshi Varun , Srinivasan Manoj
Published: October 2018

Why did the London Millennium Bridge shake when there was a big enough crowd walking on it? What features of human walking dynamics when coupled to a shaky surface produce such shaking? Here, we use a simple biped model capable of walking stably in three dimensions to examine these questions. We simulate multiple such stable bipeds walking simultaneously on a bridge, showing that they naturally synchronize under certain conditions, but that synchronization is not required to shake the bridge. Under such shaking conditions, the simulated walkers increase their step widths and expend more metabolic energy than when the bridge does not shake. We also find that such bipeds can walk stably on externally shaken treadmills, synchronizing with the treadmill motion for a range of oscillation amplitudes and frequencies. Our simulations illustrate how interactions between (idealized) bipeds through the walking surface can produce emergent collective behaviour that may not be exhibited by just a single biped.
Precision global health and comorbidity: a population-based study of 16 357 people in rural Uganda
Authors: Chami Goylette F. , Kabatereine Narcis B. , Tukahebwa Edridah M. , Dunne David W.
Published: October 2018

In low-income countries, complex comorbidities and weak health systems confound disease diagnosis and treatment. Yet, data-driven approaches have not been applied to develop better diagnostic strategies or to tailor treatment delivery for individuals within rural poor communities. We observed symptoms/diseases reported within three months by 16 357 individuals aged 1+ years in 17 villages of Mayuge District, Uganda. Symptoms were mapped to the Human Phenotype Ontology. Comorbidity networks were constructed. An edge between two symptoms/diseases was generated if the relative risk greater than 1,
ϕ
correlation greater than 0, and local false discovery rate less than 0.05. We studied how network structure and flagship symptom profiles varied against biosocial factors. 88.05% of individuals (14 402/16 357) reported at least one symptom/disease. Young children and individuals in worse-off households—low socioeconomic status, poor water, sanitation, and hygiene, and poor medical care—had dense network structures with the highest comorbidity burden and/or were conducive to the onset of new comorbidities from existing flagship symptoms, such as fever. Flagship symptom profiles for fever revealed self-misdiagnoses of fever as malaria and sexually transmitted infections as a potentially missed cause of fever in individuals of reproductive age. Network analysis may inform the development of new diagnostic and treatment strategies for flagship symptoms used to characterize syndromes/diseases of global concern.
How do fire ants control the rheology of their aggregations? A statistical mechanics approach
Authors: Vernerey Franck J. , Shen Tong , Sridhar Shankar Lalitha , Wagner Robert J.
Published: October 2018

Active networks are omnipresent in nature, from the molecular to the macro-scale. In this study, we explore the mechanical behaviour of fire ant aggregations, closely knit swarms that display impressive dynamics culminating with the aggregations’ capacity to self-heal and adapt to the environment. Although the combined elasticity and rheology of the ant aggregation can be characterized by phenomenological mechanical models (e.g. linear Maxwell or Kelvin–Voigt model), it is not clear how the behaviour of individual ants affects the aggregations’ emerging responses. Here, we explore an alternative way to think about these materials, describing them as a collection of individuals connected via elastic chains that associate and dissociate over time. Using our knowledge of these connections—e.g. their elasticity and attachment/dissociation rates—we construct a statistical description of connection stretch and derive an evolution equation for the corresponding stretch distribution. This time-evolving stretch distribution is then used to determine important macroscopic measures, e.g. stress, energy storage and energy dissipation, in the network. In this context, we show how the physical characteristics and activities of individual ants can explain the elasticity, flow and shear thinning of the aggregation. In particular, we find that experimental results are matched if the detachment rate between two individuals increases with tension in the connection.
DNA methylation subpatterns at distinct regulatory regions in human early embryos
Authors: Luo Rongsong , Bai Chunling , Yang Lei , Zheng Zhong , Su Guanghua , Gao Guangqi , Wei Zhuying , Zuo Yongchun , Li Guangpeng
Published: October 2018

DNA methylation has been investigated for many years, but recent technologies have allowed for single-cell- and single-base-resolution DNA methylation datasets and more accurate assessment of DNA methylation dynamics at the key genomic regions that regulate gene expression in human early embryonic development. In this study, the region from upstream 20 kb to downstream 20 kb of RefSeq gene was selected and divided into 12 distinct regions (up20, up10, up5, up2, 5'UTR, exon, intron, 3'UTR, down2, down5, down10 and down20). The candidate promoter region (TSS ± 2 kb) was further divided into 20 consecutive subregions, which were termed ‘bins’. The DNA methylation dynamics of these regions were systematically analysed along with their effects on gene expression in human early embryos. The dynamic DNA methylation subpatterns at the distinct genomic regions with a focus on promoter regions were mapped. For the 12 distinct genomic regions, up2 and 5'UTR had the lowest DNA methylation levels, and their methylation dynamics were different with other regions. The region 3'UTR had the highest DNA methylation levels, and the correlation analysis with gene expression proved that it was a feature of transcribed genes. For the 20 bins in promoter region, the CpG densities showed a normal distribution pattern, and the trend of the methylated CpG counts was inverse with the DNA methylation levels, especially for the bin 1 (downstream 200 bp of the TSS). Through the correlation analysis between DNA methylation and gene expression, the current study finally revealed that the region bin −4 to 6 (800 bp upstream to 1200 bp downstream of the TSS) was the best candidate for the promoter region in human early embryos, and bin 1 was the putative key regulator of gene activity. This study provided a global and high-resolution view of DNA methylation subpatterns at the distinct genomic regions in human early embryos.
Whole-head recording of chemosensory activity in the marine annelid
Platynereis dumerilii
Authors: Chartier Thomas F. , Deschamps Joran , Dürichen Wiebke , Jékely Gáspár , Arendt Detlev
Published: October 2018

Chemical detection is key to various behaviours in both marine and terrestrial animals. Marine species, though highly diverse, have been underrepresented so far in studies on chemosensory systems, and our knowledge mostly concerns the detection of airborne cues. A broader comparative approach is therefore desirable. Marine annelid worms with their rich behavioural repertoire represent attractive models for chemosensation. Here, we study the marine worm
Platynereis dumerilii
to provide the first comprehensive investigation of head chemosensory organ physiology in an annelid. By combining microfluidics and calcium imaging, we record neuronal activity in the entire head of early juveniles upon chemical stimulation. We find that
Platynereis
uses four types of organs to detect stimuli such as alcohols, esters, amino acids and sugars. Antennae are the main chemosensory organs, compared to the more differentially responding nuchal organs or palps. We report chemically evoked activity in possible downstream brain regions including the mushroom bodies (MBs), which are anatomically and molecularly similar to insect MBs. We conclude that chemosensation is a major sensory modality for marine annelids and propose early
Platynereis
juveniles as a model to study annelid chemosensory systems.
Effects of sintering temperature on sensing properties of WO
3
and Ag-WO
3
electrode for NO
2
sensor
Authors: Lu Rui , Zhong Xiaoling , Shang Shiguang , Wang Shan , Tang Manling
Published: October 2018

Pure WO
3
and Ag-WO
3
(mixed solid solutions Ag with WO
3
) have been successfully synthesized by sol-gel method and the influences of calcination temperature on the particle size, morphology of the WO
3
and Ag-WO
3
nanoparticles were investigated. Powder X-ray diffraction results show that the hexagonal to monoclinic phase transition occurs at calcination temperature varying from 300°C to 500°C. SEM images show that calcination temperature plays an important role in controlling the particle size and morphology of the as-prepared WO
3
and Ag-WO
3
nanoparticles. The NO
2
gas sensing properties of the sensors based on WO
3
and Ag-WO
3
nanoparticles calcined at different temperatures were investigated and the experimental results exhibit that the gas sensing properties of the Ag-WO
3
sensors were superior to those of the pure WO
3
. Especially, the sensor based on Ag-WO
3
calcined at 500°C possessed larger response, better selectivity, faster response/recovery and better longer-term stability to NO
2
than the others at relatively low operating temperature (150°C).
Electrochemical performance of ZnO-coated Li
4
Ti
5
O
12
composite electrodes for lithium-ion batteries with the voltage ranging from 3 to 0.01 V
Authors: Wang Ying , Ren Ya , Dai Xinyi , Yan Xiao , Huang Bixiong , Li Jingze
Published: October 2018

Oxide is widely used in modifying cathode and anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In this work, a facile method of radio magnetron sputtering is introduced to deposit a thin film on Li
4
Ti
5
O
12
composite electrodes. The pristine and modified Li
4
Ti
5
O
12
electrodes are characterized at an extended voltage range of 3–0.01 V. The reversible capacity reaches a high level of 286 mAh g
−1
, which is a little less than its theoretical capacity (293 mAh g
−1
). Electrodes modified by ZnO thin films with various thickness show elevated rate capability and improved cycle performance.
Thermally induced deterioration behaviour of two dolomitic marbles under heating–cooling cycles
Authors: Zhang Zhong-jian , Liu Jian-bin , Li Biao , Yang Xi-guang
Published: October 2018

Thermally induced deterioration behaviour can cause severe weathering in marbles. Most previous studies focus on the deterioration behaviour of calcitic marbles. Relevant studies of dolomitic marbles are generally carried out under a ‘high temperature and low cycling times' condition. Little attention is focused on the deterioration behaviour in dolomitic marbles when they are subjected to a large quantity of heating–cooling cycles under a ‘low temperature and high cycling times’ condition. This paper presents experimental investigations on the thermally induced deterioration behaviour of two Beijing dolomitic marbles (Qingbaishi Marble (QM) and Hanbaiyu Marble (HM)) under heating–cooling cycles up to 1000 cycling times. The applied temperature range is from –20°C to 60°C which is to simulate the seasonal temperature variations in Beijing city, China. Related properties such as weight loss, three-dimensional microtopography, elastic wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength were measured at certain cycles. The results indicate that thermally induced deterioration behaviour will result in a continuous weight loss in dolomitic marble samples. Mechanical properties of those two marbles are strongly affected by heating and cooling treatments, which were reflected by the reductions of dynamic Young's modulus and uniaxial compressive strength with an increase of thermal cycles. Compared with QM, HM displays a higher level of thermally induced deterioration which should be due to the abundance of quartz mineral.
Synchronous fluorescence as a green and selective tool for simultaneous determination of bambuterol and its main degradation product, terbutaline
Authors: Abo El Abass Samah , Elmansi Heba
Published: October 2018

A green, sensitive and cost-effective method is introduced in this research for the determination of bambuterol and its main degradation product, terbutaline, simultaneously, relying on the synchronous spectrofluorimetric technique. First derivative synchronous spectrofluorimetric amplitude is measured at Δ
λ
= 20 nm, so bambuterol can be quantitated at 260 nm, and terbutaline can be measured at 290 nm, each at the zero crossing point of the other. The amplitude–concentration plots were linear over the concentration ranges of 0.2–6.0 µg ml
−1
and 0.2–4.0 µg ml
−1
for both bambuterol and terbutaline, respectively. Official guidelines were followed to calculate the validation parameters of the proposed method. The low values of limits of detection of 0.023, 0.056 µg ml
−1
and limits of quantitation of 0.071, 0.169 µg ml
−1
for bambuterol and terbutaline, respectively, point to the sensitivity of the method. Bambuterol is a prodrug for terbutaline, and the latter is considered its degradation product so the established method could be regarded as a stability-indicating one. Moreover, the proposed method was used for the analysis of bambuterol and terbutaline in their single ingredient preparations and the results revealed statistical agreement with the reference method. The suggested method, being a simple and low-cost procedure, is superior to the previously published methods which need more sophisticated techniques, longer analysis time and highly toxic solvents and reagents. It could be considered as an eco-friendly analytical procedure.
Indirect effects of climate change altered the cannibalistic behaviour of shell-drilling gastropods in Antarctica during the Eocene
Authors: Dietl Gregory P. , Nagel-Myers Judith , Aronson Richard B.
Published: October 2018

The fossil record from Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula, provides a record of biotic response to the onset of global climatic cooling during the Eocene. Using drilling traces—small, round holes preserved on prey shells—we examined the effect of a cooling pulse 41 Ma on the cannibalistic behaviour of predatory naticid gastropods. We predicted that cannibalistic attacks would decline in response to the cooling climate, reflecting reduced activity levels, energy requirements and constraints on the chemically aided drilling process of the naticids. Surprisingly, however, cannibalism frequencies did not change. This counterintuitive result is best explained by a sharp reduction in durophagous (shell-crushing) predation in shallow-benthic communities in Antarctica that also occurred as the climate cooled. Reduced durophagous predation may have created a less-risky environment for foraging naticids, stimulating cannibalistic behaviour. The change in the top-down control exerted by shell-crushing predators on naticids may have counteracted the direct, negative effects of declining temperatures on the predatory performance of naticids. Our results suggest that the long-term consequences of climate change cannot be predicted solely from its direct effects on predation, because the temperature can have large indirect effects on consumer–resource interactions, especially where risk-effects dominate.
Modelling the coefficient of thermal expansion in graphite crystals: implications of lattice strain due to irradiation and pressure
Authors: Marsden Barry , Mummery Andrew , Mummery Paul
Published: October 2018

Theoretical models for the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) first proposed in the 1970s are expanded upon, allowing them, for the first time, to be implemented over a wide temperature range. The models are of interest because they predict the effects of the changes in the crystal lattice spacing and crystallite modulus on the CTE. Hence, they can in turn be used to investigate the influence of pressure and irradiation on the CTE. To date, typographical and mathematical errors and incomplete or conflicting assumptions between the various papers had made the complex mathematical formulations difficult, if not impossible, to follow and apply. This paper has two main aims: firstly to revisit and review the CTE models, correcting the errors and compiling and updating various input data, secondly to use the revised models to investigate the effect of loading and irradiation on the CTE. In particular, the models have been applied to data for natural and highly orientated pyrolytic graphite and compared with experimental data, giving an insight into the influence of temperature, loading and irradiation on both single crystal and polycrystalline graphite. The findings lend credence to postulated microstructural mechanisms attributed to the in-reactor behaviour of nuclear graphite, which finds a wide use in predictive multiscale modelling.
A widespread thermodynamic effect, but maintenance of biological rates through space across life's major domains
Authors: Sørensen Jesper G. , White Craig R. , Duffy Grant A. , Chown Steven L.
Published: October 2018

For over a century, the hypothesis of temperature compensation, the maintenance of similar biological rates in species from different thermal environments, has remained controversial. An alternative idea, that fitness is greater at higher temperatures (the thermodynamic effect), has gained increasing traction. This alternative hypothesis is also being used to understand large-scale biodiversity responses to environmental change. Yet evidence in favour of each of these contrasting hypotheses continues to emerge. In consequence, the fundamental nature of organismal thermal responses and its implications remain unresolved. Here, we investigate these ideas explicitly using a global dataset of 619 observations of four categories of organismal performance, spanning 14 phyla and 403 species. In agreement with both hypotheses, we show a positive relationship between the temperature of maximal performance rate (Topt) and environmental temperature (Tenv) for developmental rate and locomotion speed, but not growth or photosynthesis rate. Next, we demonstrate that relationships betweenTenvand the maximal performance rate (Umax) are rarely significant and positive, as expected if a thermodynamic effect predominates. By contrast, a positive relationship betweenToptandUmaxis always present, but markedly weaker than theoretically predicted. These outcomes demonstrate that while some form of thermodynamic effect exists, ample scope is present for biochemical and physiological adaptation to thermal environments in the form of temperature compensation.
Bacteraemia due to Microbacterium paraoxydans in a patient with chronic kidney disease, refractory hypertension and sarcoidosis
Authors: Chorost Matthew S. , Smith Nancy C. , Hutter Jack N. , Ong Ann C. , Stam Jason A. , McGann Patrick T. , Hinkle Mary K. , Schaecher Kurt E. , Kamau Edwin
Published: October 2018

Introduction.
Microbacterium spp. are yellow-pigmented Gram-positive coryneform rods found in various environmental sources, such as soil and water samples. They rarely cause human infection, mostly infecting immunocompromised patients and catheter insertion sites, making them challenging to identify in clinical settings.

Case presentation. We report a case of a 61-year-old female on long-term prednisone therapy for sarcoidosis with minimal exposure to environmental sources, who presented with an overtly infected Hickman catheter site and presyncope. The patient had a central venous catheter (CVC) that had been in place for the previous 6 years for treatment of refractory hypertension and congestive heart failure. Blood cultures obtained from the CVC on initial presentation were positive for a mixed infection, which was subcultured and grew Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Acinetobacter radioresistens and Leifsonia aquatica based on the Becton Dickinson Phoenix Automated Microbiology System. The L. aquatica, designated as isolate 4120, was further analysed, since infections associated with this organism are uncommon, and it was the only organism to grow from the patient’s catheter tip. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight MS identified isolate 4120 as Microbacterium paraoxydans. To resolve the conflicting results, additional analyses of isolate 4120 were carried out and compared to several reference strains. Isolate 4120 was found to have intermediate susceptibility to ciprofloxacin and non-susceptibility to vancomycin. Morphology, susceptibility, biochemical characteristics and whole-genome sequencing confirmed the clinical isolate as Microbacterium paraoxydans.

Conclusion. In this case, we identified an organism that is rarely seen in clinical settings and characterized it with a comprehensive laboratory analysis. The patient in our case responded to replacement of the CVC, and treatment with levofloxacin by mouth and intravenous vancomycin.
Assessment of risk to hoary squash bees (Peponapis pruinosa) and other ground-nesting bees from systemic insecticides in agricultural soil
Authors: Willis Chan D. Susan , Prosser Ryan S. , Rodríguez-Gil Jose L. , Raine Nigel E.
Published: October 2018

Using the hoary squash bee (Peponapis pruinosa) as a model, we provide the first probabilistic risk assessment of exposure to systemic insecticides in soil for ground-nesting bees. To assess risk in acute and chronic exposure scenarios inCucurbitaand field crops, concentrations of clothianidin, thiamethoxam and imidacloprid (neonicotinoids) and chlorantraniliprole (anthranilic diamide) in cropped soil were plotted to produce an environmental exposure distribution for each insecticide. The probability of exceedance of several exposure endpoints (LC50s) was compared to an acceptable risk threshold (5%). InCucurbitacrops, under acute exposure, risk to hoary squash bees was below 5% for honey bee LC50s for all residues evaluated but exceeded 5% for clothianidin and imidacloprid using a solitary bee LC50. ForCucurbitacrops in the chronic exposure scenario, exposure risks for clothianidin and imidacloprid exceeded 5% for all endpoints, and exposure risk for chlorantraniliprole was below 5% for all endpoints. In field crops, risk to ground-nesting bees was high from clothianidin in all exposure scenarios and high for thiamethoxam and imidacloprid under chronic exposure scenarios. Risk assessments for ground-nesting bees should include exposure impacts from soil and could use the hoary squash bee as an ecotoxicology model.
Temperature is a dominant driver of distinct annual seasonality of leaf litter production of equatorial tropical rain forests
Authors: Kitayama Kanehiro , Ushio Masayuki , Aiba Shin-ichiro
Published: October 2018

Intra-annual periodicity of canopy photosynthetic activity and leaf development has been documented in seasonal and weakly-seasonal tropical forests in the Amazon and elsewhere. However, vegetative periodicity such as leaf flush and fall in apparently “aseasonal” equatorial tropical forests has not been well documented. Moreover, causal drivers of the vegetative periodicity in those forests have not been identified largely because of the difficulty in performing manipulative experiments targeting whole forest ecosystem dynamics.

Here we show a distinct annual seasonality in canopy dynamics using a Fourier analysis with a statistical significance test on the long-term, fortnightly monitored dataset of leaf litterfall in nine evergreen tropical rain forests on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Statistically significant annual periodicity occurs across altitudes and soil types in all years irrespective of the year-to-year climatic variability, suggesting that fluctuations in regional climate rather than local micro-climatic, edaphic and/or biotic conditions cause the precise 1-year periodicity.

We examine climatic factors that have causative effects on the distinct 1-year periodicity using the spectrum convergent cross mapping that we developed in the present study to distinguish causal relationships from seasonality-driven synchronization. According to the analysis, we find that mean daily air temperature is most strongly, causatively related to the 1-year periodicity of leaf litterfall. However, knowledge on ecophysiolocial and molecular mechanisms underlying temperature-control of tropical tree growth is limited and further studies are required to understand the detailed mechanisms.

(Synthesis) We suggest that intra-annual temperature changes in association with the movement of the intertropical convergence zone cause the distinct annual vegetative periodicity. Because vegetative periodicity can be transmitted to the dynamics of higher trophic levels through a trophic cascade, interactions between vegetative periodicity and daily air temperature, not rainfall, would more strongly cause changes in the dynamics of equatorial tropical rain forests. Our results show that clear vegetative periodicity (i.e., annual seasonality) can be found in equatorial tropical rain forests under diverse local environments, and that air temperature is a more important factor than the other climate variables in the climate-forest ecosystem interactions.