bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk‐stratification based on magnetic resonance imaging and prostate‐specific antigen density may reduce unnecessary follow‐up biopsy procedures in men on active surveillance for low‐risk prostate cancer
Authors: Alberts Arnout R. , Roobol Monique J. , Drost Frank‐Jan H. , van Leenders Geert J. , Bokhorst Leonard P. , Bangma Chris H. , Schoots Ivo G.
Published: March 2017

Objectives

To assess the value of risk‐stratification based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and prostate‐specific antigen density (PSA‐D) in reducing unnecessary biopsies without missing Gleason pattern 4 prostate cancer in men on active surveillance (AS).

Patients and Methods

In all, 210 men on AS with Gleason score 3 + 3 prostate cancer received a first MRI and if indicated [Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI‐RADS) score ≥3] targeted biopsy (TBx) using MRI‐transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) fusion. The MRI was performed 3 months after diagnosis (group A: n = 97), at confirmatory biopsy (group B: n = 39) or at surveillance biopsy after one or more repeat TRUS‐guided systematic biopsies (TRUS‐Bx) (group C: n = 74). The primary outcome was upgrading to Gleason score ≥3 + 4 prostate cancer based on MRI ± TBx in groups A, B and C. Biopsy outcomes were stratified for the overall PI‐RADS score and PSA‐D to identify a subgroup of men in whom a biopsy could have been avoided as no Gleason score upgrading was detected.

Results

In all, 134/210 (64%) men had a positive MRI and 51/210 (24%) men had Gleason score upgrading based on MRI‐TBx. The percentage of Gleason score upgrading based on MRI‐TBx was 23% (22/97), 23% (9/39) and 27% (20/74) in respectively groups A, B and C. Additional Gleason score upgrading detected by TRUS‐Bx occurred in 8% (3/39) of men in group B and 6% (1/17) of men who received TRUS‐Bx in group C. No Gleason score upgrading was detected by MRI‐TBx in men with a PI‐RADS score of 3 and a PSA‐D of <0.15 ng/mL2(n = 15), nor by TRUS‐Bx in men with a PI‐RADS score of 1–3 and a PSA‐D of <0.15 ng/mL2 (n = 15).

Conclusion

At least one out of five men on AS with Gleason score 3 + 3 prostate cancer at diagnostic TRUS‐Bx show Gleason score upgrading based on first MRI ± TBx at baseline, confirmatory or surveillance biopsy. Men with a PI‐RADS score of 1–3 and PSA‐D of <0.15 ng/mL2 did not show Gleason score upgrading at MRI ± TBx or TRUS‐Bx at each time point of surveillance. Thus risk‐stratification based on PI‐RADS and PSA‐D may reduce unnecessary follow‐up biopsy procedures in men on AS.
Insights into the function of opioid receptors from molecular dynamics simulations of available crystal structures
Authors: Marino Kristen A , Shang Yi , Filizola Marta
Published: March 2017

The opioid receptors are key targets in the treatment of acute and chronic pain, and the development of novel analgesics with reduced side effects is crucial in the search for more effective medications. The crystal structures of opioid receptors have provided a wealth of knowledge on many aspects of opioid receptor pharmacology and function, including ligand binding poses, location of the sodium allosteric binding site, conformational changes associated with activation and putative dimeric interfaces. These crystal structures also offer a starting point for molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to capture one aspect of drug design that static structures cannot resolve, namely protein dynamics. With the increase in computing power, MD simulations of crystal structures have become an influential tool in understanding the function of GPCRs in general. Here, we discuss lessons learned from MD simulations of opioid receptor crystal structures with reference to (i) the binding pathway of sodium to its crystallographic allosteric site, (ii) the dynamics of ligand–receptor and receptor–receptor interactions, both at the ligand‐ and G protein‐binding sites, (iii) the binding pathway and binding pose of novel ligands, and (iv) opioid receptor oligomerization.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Emerging Areas of Opioid Pharmacology. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v175.14/issuetoc
Multicenter phase II study of nivolumab in Japanese patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Authors: Maruyama Dai , Hatake Kiyohiko , Kinoshita Tomohiro , Fukuhara Noriko , Choi Ilseung , Taniwaki Masafumi , Ando Kiyoshi , Terui Yasuhito , Higuchi Yusuke , Onishi Yasushi , Abe Yasunobu , Kobayashi Tsutomu , Shirasugi Yukari , Tobinai Kensei
Published: March 2017

Overexpression of programmed death‐1 (PD‐1) ligands contributes to an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Nivolumab is a PD‐1‐blocking antibody that inhibits the PD‐1 pathway and showed good efficacy in several types of malignancy. This phase II study examined the efficacy and safety of nivolumab in 17 Japanese patients with refractory/relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma previously treated with brentuximab vedotin. Sixteen patients were included in efficacy analyses and 17 in safety analyses. The primary endpoint was the centrally assessed objective response rate (ORR). The study was commenced in March 2015. We report data obtained at a cutoff of 16 March 2016, at which time 11 patients were still receiving nivolumab. The median (range) duration of treatment and follow‐up were 7.0 (1.4–10.6) months and 9.8 (6.0–11.1) months, respectively. All 17 patients had previously received brentuximab vedotin. The ORR was 81.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 54.4–96.0%; 13/16 patients), with complete remission and partial remission in 4 and 9 patients, respectively. The overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) rates at 6 months were 100 and 60.0% (95% CI: 31.8–79.7%), respectively; the median OS and PFS were not reached. The most common adverse events (AE) were pyrexia (41.2%), pruritus (35.3%), rash (35.3%) and hypothyroidism (29.4%). Four patients (23.5%) experienced grade 3 or 4 AE, but most AE were of grade 1 or 2. In conclusion, nivolumab is a potentially effective and tolerable treatment option for Japanese patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma previously treated with brentuximab vedotin.
Gender Education Gaps among Indigenous and Non‐Indigenous Groups in Bolivia
Authors: Reimão Maira Emy , Taş Emcet O.
Published: March 2017

This article studies gender education gaps among indigenous and non‐indigenous groups in Bolivia. Using the National Census of Population and Housing 2012 and an estimation method analogous to difference‐in‐differences, the study finds that the intersection of gender and indigenous identity confers cumulative disadvantage for indigenous women in literacy, years of schooling and primary and secondary school completion. While gender education gaps have become narrower across generations, there remain significant differences within indigenous groups. The Aymara have the largest gender gap in all outcomes, despite having high overall attainment rates and mostly residing in urban centres with greater physical access to schools. The Quechua have relatively smaller gender gaps, but these are accompanied by lower attainment levels. The article discusses the possible sources of these differentials and highlights the importance of taking gender dynamics within each indigenous group into greater consideration.
The Government Has Long Hands: Institutionalized Arbitrariness and Local Security Initiatives in Northern Uganda
Authors: Tapscott Rebecca
Published: March 2017

This article examines the relationship between the state security apparatus and local security initiatives in Gulu District, northern Uganda. It draws from more than 200 interviews and seven months of qualitative field research from February 2014 to December 2015. Although the central Ugandan state is believed to be weak or absent in the post‐conflict north, the article finds that in the area of security, the state is ever‐present in citizens' imaginations. This study makes two interrelated arguments. First, perceived state presence is a result of seemingly arbitrary and harsh interventions on the part of central government, which the author termsinstitutionalized arbitrariness. Second, in Gulu District, institutionalized arbitrariness is an effective and efficient mode of governance. This is due to civilian imaginations of state violence, shaped by the two‐decade long conflict, as well as the power of the central state, reinforced administratively and through an elaborate intelligence network. Thus, institutionalized arbitrariness allows the central state to fragment political and social resistance to its rule and undermine the ability of citizens to make meaningful claims on the state.
Better than Cash, but Beware the Costs: Electronic Payments Systems and Financial Inclusion in Developing Economies
Authors: dos Santos Paulo L. , Harvold Kvangraven Ingrid
Published: March 2017

This article considers current proposals for using electronic payments systems to promote financial inclusion — that is, to widen the availability of financial and monetary services in developing countries. While such systems can generate significant savings in the operation of monetary systems, payment services markets are typically uncompetitive and require regulatory and broader state interventions to ensure those savings are widely distributed. The use of those systems to broaden the reach of for‐profit lenders raises a number of concerns, as a growing literature has documented how microcredit initiatives in developing countries have resulted primarily in expansions in consumption credit to households, often under predatory terms. The authors advance two original arguments in this connection. First, the perverse results of many microcredit initiatives reflect the underdevelopment of the areas concerned: without broader development strategies, potentially transformative productive projects are rare and unprofitable to finance. In contrast, widespread unmet consumption needs ensure consumption credit offers lenders a profitable alternative business orientation. Second, and in light of this, electronic payments platforms can contribute to economic development by enabling the establishment of well‐regulated or public systems of electronic ‘narrow banks’ restricted from lending, but capable of widening access to affordable payments, savings and insurance services.
Transitional Justice and Political Economies of Survival in Post‐conflict Northern Uganda
Authors: Macdonald Anna
Published: March 2017

This article explores the interplay between transitional justice and ‘everyday’ political economies of survival in post‐conflict Acholiland, northern Uganda. It advances two main arguments. First, that transitional justice — as part and parcel of conventional liberal peacebuilding packages — promotes a repertoire of normatively driven policies that have little bearing on lived realities of social accountability in post‐conflict settings. Second, that in transcending the epistemological and ontological boundaries of transitional justice and using concepts developed in the critical peacebuilding literature — the ‘everyday’ and ‘hybridity’ — a nuanced understanding of this dissonance emerges. Based on extensive fieldwork in Acholiland in the period 2012–14, using a range of qualitative research methods, the author examines the means through which people negotiate social and moral order in the context of post‐conflict life and analyses the tensions between these forms of ‘everyday’ activity and current transitional justice policy and programming in the region.
Cardiac response to enzyme replacement therapy in infantile Pompe disease with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Avula Sravani , Nguyen Thuylinh M. , Marble Michael , Lilje Christian
Published: March 2017

Classic infantile‐onset Pompe disease (IOPD), characterized by predominantly cardiac involvement, used to be considered uniformly lethal within months. The availability of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has transformed the course of the disease. Decrease in ventricular hypertrophy and improvement in ventricular function have been suggested as proof for efficacy. We report the cardiac response to ERT of a child with IOPD and severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The myocardial hypertrophy resolved. Change in ejection fraction, however, was slow. We discuss the potential benefit of other parameters beyond ejection to assess cardiac function in IOPD, including speckle tracking‐based strain.
Left ventricular myocardial function assessed by three‐dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy
Authors: Kobayashi Yukari , Okura Hiroyuki , Kobayashi Yuhei , Fukuda Shuichiro , Hirohata Atsushi , Yoshida Kiyoshi
Published: March 2017

Background

We aimed to investigate left ventricular (LV) functional recovery in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) using three‐dimensional (3D) speckle tracking echocardiography.

Methods

Twenty‐one patients with TC who underwent routine and 3D echocardiography as well as electrocardiography were enrolled. 3D images were analyzed to measure 3D radial strain and area tracking (area change of each LV segment). Postsystolic shortening (PSS) or thickening (PST) was defined as a further shortening or thickening occurred after the end‐systole. 3D echocardiography and ECG were repeated at 4 weeks and 6 months later.

Results

Mean age was 70.9±11.1 years, and 18 (86%) patients were female. All patients presented classical type of TC with apical ballooning. LV ejection fraction (EF) improved from 49.9±7.2 to 64.9±6.0% (P<.001) at 4 weeks without segmental wall‐motion abnormality. However, PSS or PST still existed in 43% of LV segments, and electrocardiographic abnormality was also observed in 51% at 4 weeks and disappeared at 6 months. Mean 3D radial strain decreased from baseline to 6 months at base (36.1±19.6 vs 28.0±12.6%, P=.04), whereas it increased at mid (16.2±7.2 vs 28.7±9.1%, P=.03) and the apex (8.0±4.4 vs 21.2±7.9%, P<.001). Mean area tracking increased from baseline to 6 months at mid and apex (−28.5±9.5 vs −44.5±9.6%, P<.001 for mid, and −24.2±13.0 vs −42.9±16.8%, P=.002 for the apex), while it did not change at base (−37.0±8.9 vs −41.9±9.6%, P=NS).

Conclusions

Patients with TC show abnormal wall motion during acute phase. Even after LV wall‐motion recovery, subtle abnormalities of regional LV function appear to persist at 4 weeks followed by normalization at 6 months.
Echocardiographic assessment in patients with chronic kidney disease: Current update
Authors: Sulemane Samir , Panoulas Vasileios F. , Nihoyannopoulos Petros
Published: March 2017

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) carry a high cardiovascular risk. An abundance of evidence has emerged in recent years establishing minor reductions in estimated glomerular filtration rate as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality. Additionally, cardiac changes, such as left ventricular hypertrophy and impaired left ventricular systolic function, have been associated with an unfavorable prognosis. Despite the significant prevalence of underlying cardiac abnormalities, symptoms may not manifest in many patients with CKD. A range of available and emerging echocardiographic modalities may assist with diagnosing heart disease in CKD. Furthermore, some of these emerging techniques can give an important insight into the pathophysiology of subclinical dysfunction in CKD. This review discusses how current and emerging echocardiographic modalities such as speckle tracking echocardiography and 3D echocardiography might help cardiologists in providing important information to help with diagnosis and risk stratification of cardiac‐related morbidity and mortality in patients with renal disease, as well applicability of these tools to current clinical practice.
Quarantining behaviour of ants towards infected aphids as an antifungal mechanism in ant–aphid interactions
Authors: Novgorodova Tatiana A. , Kryukov Vadim Yu.
Published: March 2017

The ecological success of social insects, including ants, is tightly connected with their ability to protect themselves and their food resources. In exchange for energy‐rich honeydew, ants protect myrmecophilous aphids from various natural enemies. Fungal infection can have disastrous consequences for both mutualist partners, wherein aphids can be disease vectors. Behavioural responses towards fungus‐infected aphids of ant species in nature have scarcely been studied. Here, we studied the behaviour of honeydew foragers of four ant species – Formica polyctena Foerster, Formica rufa L., Formica pratensis Retzius (Hymenoptera: Formicidae, Formicini), and Lasius niger (L.) (Formicidae, Lasiini) – towards Symydobius oblongus (von Heyden) aphids contaminated with the generalist fungal pathogen Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo‐Crivelli) Vuillemin in the field. Aphid milkers from Formica spp. quickly detected and removed infected aphids from the host plant (Betula pendula Roth., Betulaceae). Neither ant species, the degree of aphid‐milker specialization (medium or high), nor the number of honeydew foragers had significant effects on the behaviour of Formica milkers towards infected aphids. Unlike Formica ants, L. niger usually displayed non‐aggressive behaviour (tolerance, antennation, honeydew collection, grooming). By the immediate removal of infected insects, Formica ants seem to minimize the probability of infection of symbionts as well as themselves. Quarantining behaviour may play an important role in ant–aphid interactions as a preventive antifungal mechanism formed under parasite pressure and thus contributing to the ecological success of ants.
Systemic immune mechanisms in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis with implications for treatment
Authors: Guttman‐Yassky Emma , Krueger James G. , Lebwohl Mark G.
Published: March 2017

Atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis are inflammatory skin diseases that negatively affect patients’ quality of life. Although distinctions exist between these diseases, both are characterized by erythematous, thickened epidermal lesions that vary in intensity and affected body surface area. Early models of aetiology attributed symptoms of both diseases to cutaneous inflammation at lesion sites, but recent studies have established that activated immune mediators in the circulation drive disease severity. Activation of T helper 2 (Th2) and Th22 cells in the circulation appears to be the principal initiator of acute AD pathology, with the emergence of Th1 and Th17/interleukin (IL)‐23 pathway activation marking the transition to a chronic state. The Th17/IL‐23 pathway also has an important role in psoriasis. The role of systemic inflammation in AD and psoriasis is supported by the occurrence of non‐cutaneous comorbidities that affect patients, most of which intensify morbidity and disability associated with lesional skin. Atopic dermatitis is associated with allergic disorders consisting of the “atopic march,” whereas psoriasis is frequently accompanied by psoriatic arthritis. Patients with both disorders are at significantly higher risk of obesity, metabolic disorders, and cardiovascular diseases, all of which feature inflammatory components in their pathology models. These insights have led to novel therapeutics aimed at addressing psoriasis by targeting tumor necrosis factor‐ and Th17‐related cytokine pathways. The success of these agents in psoriasis management is driving new therapeutic approaches for moderate‐to‐severe AD, including agents targeting the Th2 and Th17/Th22 cytokine pathways.
LOSING THE PLOT? KLEIST, KAFKA, AND DISAPPEARING GRAND NARRATIVES
Authors: Boa Elizabeth
Published: March 2017

Drawing on the narrative theories of E. M. Forster, Paul Ricoeur and others, this essay explores structural affinities in fiction by Kleist and Kafka. Kafka's ‘Kleine Fabel’ serves as a miniature model of the interplay of time and space in story (fabula) and plot (syuzhet). The analysis uncovers a hermeneutic gap, which, despite the clear ending, leaves readers with the feeling of losing the plot; the minimally consolatory close of Kleist's ‘Das Erdbeben in Chili’ is comparably disconcerting. Drawing on Yuri Lotman's literary semiotics, I also explore a tension between mythic cyclicity and linear historical time, first in ‘Das Erdbeben in Chili’ and then through comparative readings of ‘Die Marquise von O…’ and Der Proceß. ‘Die Marquise von O…’ has a euphoric close, Der Proceß ends dysphorically, but an underlying vein of obscenely comic blasphemy in both texts unsettles the seeming clarity of the plot and its outcome.

Mithilfe der narratologischen Theorien von E. M. Forster und Paul Ricoeur unter anderen untersucht dieser Essay vergleichbare Erzählstrukturen in Texten von Kleist und Kafka. Die Analyse von Kafkas ‘Kleiner Fabel’ als Modell des Zusammenspiels von Zeit und Raum in der Gestaltung von Story (fabula) und Plot (syuzhet) deckt eine Leerstelle auf, die trotz des eindeutigen Ausgangs das Kausalitätsgefüge in Frage stellt und den Leser mit dem Gefühl zurücklässt, den Faden zu verlieren; der nur minimal tröstliche Ausgang von Kleists ‘Das Erdbeben in Chili’ wirkt auf ähnliche Weise verunsichernd. Ausgehend von Yuri Lotmans Literatursemiotik untersuche ich darüber hinaus eine Spannung zwischen mythischer Zyklizität und der Linearität von historischer Zeit in ‘Das Erdbeben in Chili’, dann in ‘Die Marquise von O…’ und Der Proceß. In den beiden letzten Beispielen stellt ein unterschwelliger Zug komisch‐obszöner Blasphemie den euphorisch anmutenden Schluss des ersteren sowie das extrem pessimistische Ende des letzteren in Frage.
INVERSE THEOLOGY: ADORNO, BENJAMIN, KAFKA
Authors: Truskolaski Sebastian
Published: March 2017

The striking prevalence of theological motifs spanning Theodor W. Adorno's work has long been noted, from his repeated references to the Old Testament interdiction against making images of God to his evocative citations of a messianic light. This terminological peculiarity raises a difficult question: how are we to grasp the relation between Adorno's worldly critique of capitalist modernity and his use of religious terms? After all, Adorno explicitly echoes the verdicts of his intellectual forerunners, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud, arguing that traditional theology is not restorable. Given the rejoinders that Adorno's phrasing has provoked from commentators such as Jacob Taubes and Giorgio Agamben, the present article proposes to re‐evaluate the significance of Adorno's terminology with respect to two authors who colour his understanding of religion and theology: Franz Kafka and Walter Benjamin. In doing so, I aim to investigate the sense in which Adorno is able to mobilise the modern dislocation of traditional theology for a critique of reality under the rule of a capitalist cult religion.

Die auffällige Prävalenz von theologischen Motiven in Adornos Werk ist wohl bekannt: von seiner wiederholten Bezugnahme auf das alttestamentarische Bilderverbot bis hin zu seinen Anführungen eines messianischen Lichts. Diese terminologische Eigenart wirft eine schwierige Frage auf: Wie ist Adornos diesseitige Kritik der kapitalistischen Moderne mit seinem Rekurs auf religiöse Termini zu vereinbaren? Schließlich klingen bei Adorno die Urteile seiner intellektuellen Vorläufer, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche und Sigmund Freud nach, wenn er behauptet, traditionelle Theologie sei nicht wiederherstellbar. Mit Hinsicht auf die Ablehnung, welche Adornos Formulierungen bei Kritikern wie Jacob Taubes und Giorgio Agamben ausgelöst hat, setzt sich der Beitrag zum Ziel, Adornos Sprachgebrauch im Hinblick auf zwei Autoren umzuwerten, die maßgeblich sein Verständnis von Religion und Theologie prägten: Franz Kafka und Walter Benjamin. Dadurch zielt der Beitrag zuletzt darauf ab, festzustellen, auf welche Weise Adorno die moderne Entstellung traditioneller Theologie dazu nützt, um seine Kritik an der durch eine kapitalistische Kultreligion verzerrten Wirklichkeit zu formulieren.
GERMAN SILENT FILM AND THE ‘ZEITOPER’: THE CASE OF MAX BRAND'S MASCHINIST HOPKINS*
Authors: Monchick Alexandra
Published: March 2017

Often referenced but rarely performed, Maschinist Hopkins (1929) is one of the most prominent examples of film's influence on opera. Max Brand composed Maschinist Hopkins during the Weimar Republic, a fruitful period in both operatic and film history. By writing his own libretto, which was uncommon but not unprecedented in the post‐Wagnerian generation, Brand was able to carefully detail stage directions and set designs, akin to writing a screenplay. Contemporary film inspired the musical score, plot themes, staging, and sets of the opera, but one particular film, Fritz Lang's Metropolis, may have even served as the film model for Brand. Maschinist Hopkins is representative of a general trend during the Weimar Republic, when opera was becoming increasingly inspired by film.

Max Brands Oper Maschinist Hopkins (1929), die heute zwar noch Erwähnung findet, aber nicht mehr aufgeführt wird, entstand zu einem für die Operngeschichte sehr fruchtbaren Zeitpunkt, als der Stummfilm der Weimarer Republik seinen künstlerischen Höhepunkt erreichte. Wie viele andere Komponisten der Zeit zeigte sich auch Brand als von den technischen und ästhetischen Möglichkeiten des neuen Mediums inspiriert. Da er das Libretto selbst verfasste – was in der Generation der nachwagnerischen Komponisten nicht unüblich war – konnte er die Bühnenanweisungen detailliert festlegen. Schon im Titel der Oper klingt der Einfluss von Fritz Langs Metropolis (1927) an, und es lässt sich zeigen, dass Musik, Handlung und Bühnenbilder deutliche Parallelen zu den Gestaltungsprinzipien des Films aufweisen, was die historische Bedeutung von Maschinist Hopkins als Denkmal der Zeit unterstreicht.
The effect of additives on release and in vitro skin retention of flavonoids from emulsion and gel semisolid formulations
Authors: Dyja R. , Jankowski A.
Published: March 2017

Objective

To assess the effect of two different additives (propylene glycol (PG) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400)) on release and in vitro skin retention of quercetin and chrysin from semisolid bases (amphiphilic creams and acidic carbomer gels).

Methods

For obtaining semisolid formulations, flavonoids were pre‐dissolved in the liquid (PG or PEG 400) or directly suspended in the semisolid base. Three chrysin formulations (‘cream 0’, ‘PG‐cream’ and ‘PEG 400‐cream’) and five quercetin formulations (‘cream 0’, ‘PG cream’, ‘PEG 400 cream’, ‘gel 0’ and ‘PG gel’) were prepared. The release studies were carried out in Franz diffusion cells by means of a cellulose membrane. The porcine ear skin was used in in vitro skin retention studies.

Results

The dissolution was a prerequisite to increase the release rates of tested flavonoids from obtained semisolid formulations. The cumulative amount of chrysin released after 6 h from ‘PEG 400 cream’ containing partly dissolved form of that flavonoid was higher than that from ‘cream 0’ or ‘PG cream’ containing its suspended form. The formulations containing quercetin dissolved in PG (‘PG cream’, ‘PG gel’) or PEG 400 (‘PEG 400 cream’) exhibited higher release rates of that flavonoid than corresponding semisolid suspensions (‘cream 0’ or ‘gel 0’). The effects of both liquid additives (PG and PEG 400) on the cumulative amount of quercetin released after 6 h were comparable. However, there was no correlation between the release rate and the skin retention. The amounts of the flavonoids found in the skin were strongly affected by the type of the used solvent. While PG increased the skin retention of both flavonoids, PEG 400 had no effect on chrysin skin retention and delayed quercetin skin absorption.

Conclusion

The proper choice of the solvent added to the semisolid base is crucial for enhanced skin delivery of the tested flavonoids. PG is more efficient absorption promoter than PEG 400 of both chrysin and quercetin.
Applying queueing theory to the study of emergency department operations: a survey and a discussion of comparable simulation studies
Authors: Hu Xia , Barnes Sean , Golden Bruce
Published: March 2017

Queueing models are important tools for the design and management of emergency departments (EDs). In this survey, we examine the contributions of queueing theory (QT) in modeling EDs and assess the strengths and limitations of this application. We include a direct comparison to discrete‐event simulation when applied to similar problems, and discuss data acquisition and challenges associated with each method. Specifically, we review applications of QT from the perspective of demand‐ and supply‐side problems, as well as various methodological innovations developed to address the complexities of ED operations. In reviewing relevant articles published since 1970, we found that queueing models tend to oversimplify operations and underestimate congestion levels (especially for smaller systems), and obtain less realistic results than comparable simulation models. The combination of queueing and simulation is shown to be a powerful approach. Future efforts should exploit this and more widely available real‐world data.
An experimental approach to the brood reduction hypothesis in Magellanic penguins
Authors: Barrionuevo Melina , Frere Esteban
Published: March 2017

In many bird species, eggs in a brood hatch within days of each other, leading to a size asymmetry detrimental to younger siblings. Hatching asynchrony is often thought of as an adaptive strategy, and the most widely studied hypothesis in relation to this is the ‘brood reduction hypothesis’. This hypothesis states that when food resources are unpredictable, hatching asynchrony will allow the adjustment of the brood size maximizing fledging success and benefitting parents. The Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus is an appropriate species to test this hypothesis because it has a 2‐egg clutch that hatches over a 2‐d interval with a broad range of variation (–1 to 4 d), it shows facultative brood reduction, and food abundance between breeding seasons is variable. We performed a manipulative study at Isla Quiroga, Argentina, during three breeding seasons (2010–2012) by forcing broods to hatch synchronously (0 d) or asynchronously (2 or 4 d). Years were categorized based on estimated food abundance. Our study provided mixed results because in the low estimated food abundance year asynchronous broods did not have higher nestling survival than synchronous broods, and the second‐hatchling in asynchronous broods did not die more often than those in synchronous broods. On the other hand, younger siblings of 4‐d asynchronous broods starved earlier than those of synchronous broods, and 2‐d asynchronous broods fledged heavier young than synchronous broods. Asynchronous hatching would seem to benefit reproduction in this species, not with respect to survival, but in terms of the advantages it can accord to nestlings and, in terms of lower costs, for parents raising nestlings.
How birds colonize cities: genetic evidence from a common waterbird, the Eurasian coot
Authors: Minias Piotr , Włodarczyk Radosław , Minias Alina , Dziadek Jarosław
Published: March 2017

Much effort has been devoted to identify ecological and life‐history traits which facilitate urban colonization by wild avian species, but surprisingly little is known about the population‐level mechanisms of urbanization processes. In general, two different patterns of urban colonization have been proposed: 1) the model of independent colonization predicts that birds colonize cities independently in different geographical regions; 2) the model of leapfrog colonization assumes a single colonization event, while additional urban populations are established from the initial urban populations. The aim of this paper was to determine the pattern of urban colonization in a common waterbird, the Eurasian coot Fulica atra. For this purpose, we analysed microsatellite variation in three pairs of urban and rural coot populations from central Poland. We found that a newly‐established urban population was genetically more similar to neighbouring rural populations than to long‐established urban populations, as indicated by the analysis of fixation index, genetic distance and Bayesian assignment of individuals to genetic clusters. These results are consistent with the model of independent colonization, where neighbouring rural populations are a source of individuals that colonize new urban areas. However, our analysis also showed significant differentiation between long‐established urban populations and adjacent rural populations, suggesting that genetic connectivity between two types of habitat decreases with increasing time since urbanization. Our study shows high complexity of urbanization processes in wild animal populations, as well as it underpins utility of molecular tools in studying population‐level mechanisms of urbanization.
Role of microbial biofilms in the maintenance of oral health and in the development of dental caries and periodontal diseases. Consensus report of group 1 of the Joint EFP/ORCA workshop on the boundaries between caries and periodontal disease
Authors: Sanz Mariano , Beighton David , Curtis Michael A. , Cury Jaime A. , Dige Irene , Dommisch Henrik , Ellwood Roger , Giacaman Rodrigo A. , Herrera David , Herzberg Mark C. , Könönen Eija , Marsh Philip D. , Meyle Joerg , Mira Alex , Molina Ana , Mombelli Andrea , Quirynen Marc , Reynolds Eric C. , Shapira Lior , Zaura Egija
Published: March 2017

Background and Aims

The scope of this working group was to review (1) ecological interactions at the dental biofilm in health and disease, (2) the role of microbial communities in the pathogenesis of periodontitis and caries, and (3) the innate host response in caries and periodontal diseases.

Results and Conclusions

A health‐associated biofilm includes genera such as Neisseria, Streptococcus, Actinomyces, Veillonella and Granulicatella. Microorganisms associated with both caries and periodontal diseases are metabolically highly specialized and organized as multispecies microbial biofilms. Progression of these diseases involves multiple microbial interactions driven by different stressors. In caries, the exposure of dental biofilms to dietary sugars and their fermentation to organic acids results in increasing proportions of acidogenic and aciduric species. In gingivitis, plaque accumulation at the gingival margin leads to inflammation and increasing proportions of proteolytic and often obligately anaerobic species. The natural mucosal barriers and saliva are the main innate defence mechanisms against soft tissue bacterial invasion. Similarly, enamel and dentin are important hard tissue barriers to the caries process. Given that the present state of knowledge suggests that the aetiologies of caries and periodontal diseases are mutually independent, the elements of innate immunity that appear to contribute to resistance to both are somewhat coincidental.
Do we underestimate influences of diabetic mononeuropathy or polyneuropathy on hand functional performance and life quality?
Authors: Yang Chien‐Ju , Hsu Hsiu‐Yun , Lu Chieh‐Hsiang , Chao Yen‐Li , Chiu Haw‐Yen , Kuo Li‐Chieh
Published: March 2017

Aims/Introduction

The purpose of the present study was to identify whether there are differences in hand dexterity, hand functional performance and quality of life between diabetes patients with mononeuropathy and polyneuropathy of their hands to further present the importance regarding the impacts of diabetic neuropathic deficits on patients’ functional capacity.

Materials and Methods

The neurological deficits of 127 patients with type 2 diabetes were examined by electrophysiological tests for the median and ulnar nerves, and were stratified into the diabetic mononeuropathy, diabetic polyneuropathy and non‐diabetic neuropathy groups by sensory amplitude of these nerves. The Purdue pegboard test, Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire, and Diabetes‐39 were carried out to understand patients’ hand dexterity, functional hand performance and quality of life, respectively.

Results

The results showed significant differences in all subtests of the Purdue pegboard test among the three groups. Furthermore, aesthetics, patient's satisfaction of the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire and diabetes control, sexual functioning, energy, and mobility of the Diabetes‐39 also showed significant differences among the three groups.

Conclusions

The present study shows the patients with polyneuropathy suffer from more negative impacts on hand functional performance and quality of life than those with mononeuropathy and without neuropathy. These findings might assist both patients and clinicians in better realizing the impacts of neuropathic hands, and planning suitable strategies of intervention or health education to prevent declines in hand functions.
High risk of renal dysfunction in patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes
Authors: Takahashi Nobuyuki , Tsujimoto Tetsuro , Chujo Daisuke , Kajio Hiroshi
Published: March 2017

Aims/Introduction

To compare the incidence rate of renal dysfunction between patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes and those with acute‐onset type 1 diabetes.

Materials and Methods

The present retrospective cohort study included patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes and acute‐onset type 1 diabetes diagnosed during April 1993 to March 2016 at a national center in Japan. Glycated hemoglobin levels, incidence rates of renal dysfunction defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and microalbuminuria were examined.

Results

In total, 115 patients with type 1 diabetes (10 with fulminant type 1 diabetes and 105 with acute‐onset type 1 diabetes) were included. The median glycated hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes than in those with acute‐onset type 1 diabetes 0, 3, 6 and 9 years after diabetes onset (6.5 vs 12.7%, 6.5 vs 7.9%, 6.7 vs 8.2%, 7.5 vs 8.5%, respectively). Kaplan–Meier analysis showed a significantly higher incidence rate of renal dysfunction in patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes than in those with acute‐onset type 1 diabetes (hazard ratio 1.72, 95% confidence interval 1.01–2.97, P = 0.037). The incidence rate of microalbuminuria did not significantly differ between the groups (hazard ratio 0.97, 95% confidence interval 0.34–2.77, P = 0.95). Sensitivity analysis using age‐ and sex‐matched patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes and acute‐onset type 1 diabetes yielded similar results.

Conclusions

The risk of developing renal dysfunction is higher in patients with fulminant type 1 diabetes than in those with acute‐onset type 1 diabetes, despite better glycemic control.
Rivalry information acquisition and disclosure
Authors: Li Xinyu , Peeters Ronald
Published: March 2017

In the recent past, there have been numerous scandals around poor product qualities in various industries. Although it can be easily rationalized why bad practices have not been reported by the inflictors themselves, it is more difficult to understand why the non‐inflicting competitors did not report their rivals' acts. In this paper, we study these competitors' incentives to acquire and to disclose information on the quality of their rivals' products and question when we can leave the information disclosure process to the competitive pressure of markets and when there is a need for governmental intervention. We find that low quality levels can be disclosed in markets that exhibit negative spill‐over effects, but should not be expected to be disclosed in markets that exhibit a positive spill‐over effect. A regulatory policy on quality testing and disclosure may be more effective in the latter type of market.
Ancestry, Plasmodium cynomolgi prevalence and rhesus macaque admixture in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) bred for export in Chinese breeding farms
Authors: Zhang Xinjun , Meng Yuhuan , Houghton Paul , Liu Mingyu , Kanthaswamy Sreetharan , Oldt Robert , Ng Jillian , Trask Jessica Satkoski , Huang Ren , Singh Balbir , Du Hongli , Smith David Glenn
Published: March 2017

Background

Most cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) used in the United States as animal models are imported from Chinese breeding farms without documented ancestry. Cynomolgus macaques with varying rhesus macaque ancestry proportions may exhibit differences, such as susceptibility to malaria, that affect their suitability as a research model.

Methods

DNA of 400 cynomolgus macaques from 10 Chinese breeding farms was genotyped to characterize their regional origin and rhesus ancestry proportion. A nested PCR assay was used to detect Plasmodium cynomolgi infection in sampled individuals.

Results

All populations exhibited high levels of genetic heterogeneity and low levels of inbreeding and genetic subdivision. Almost all individuals exhibited an Indochinese origin and a rhesus ancestry proportion of 5%‐48%. The incidence of P. cynomolgi infection in cynomolgus macaques is strongly associated with proportion of rhesus ancestry.

Conclusions

The varying amount of rhesus ancestry in cynomolgus macaques underscores the importance of monitoring their genetic similarity in malaria research.
Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the medicinal species of the genus Cordia (Boraginaceae)
Authors: Oza Manisha J , Kulkarni Yogesh A
Published: March 2017

Objectives

Cordia (family Boraginaceae) is a genus of deciduous flowering trees or shrubs comprising more than 300 species distributed widely in the tropical regions. The aim of this review was to provide exhaustive scientific information on traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the 36 important species with medicinal value from the genus Cordia, to divulge prospects for further research on its therapeutic potential.

Key findings

Leaves, fruit, bark and seed of a majority of the species were found to possess abundant ethnomedicinal value, but leaves were found to be used most frequently to treat many ailments such as respiratory disorders, stomach pain, wound, inflammation, myalgia, cough, dysentery and diarrhoea. The phytochemical investigation of 36 species resulted in isolation of 293 chemical constituents from various chemical classes. The crude extracts, fractions, essential oils and pure compounds isolated from various Cordia species were reported to have a varied range of pharmacological activities.

Many of the traditional uses of the genus Cordia were supported by the results obtained from pharmacological studies performed using various extracts or pure compounds. More attention should be given to the biological evaluation using pure phytochemicals and to identify the mechanism of actions and exploring this genus for new drug discovery.
Special Education Teachers Integrating Reading with Eighth Grade U.S. History Content
Authors: O'Connor Rollanda E. , Sanchez Victoria , Beach Kristen D. , Bocian Kathleen M.
Published: March 2017

This research replicates an earlier study and extends it by shifting instructional responsibility from researchers to special education teachers, who implemented reading instruction that included multisyllabic word decoding, academic vocabulary, and three comprehension strategies (generating main ideas, comparing and contrasting people and events, and identifying cause and effect relations) with their intact eighth grade history classes, using history text as the reading material. Participants included 73 eighth grade students with disabilities (77 percent with learning disabilities, 72 percent males, and 45 percent English language learners) and four teachers. Compared to students with disabilities in typical special education history classes, students in the treatment outperformed controls on researcher–developed measures of word– and text–level reading comprehension, as well as in the history content that students in both conditions studied. Across reading strategies, implementation of “nearly all lesson components” ranged from 72 percent to 83 percent.
The transcriptome of the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium ashfordi displays host‐specific gene expression
Authors: Videvall Elin , Cornwallis Charlie K. , Ahrén Dag , Palinauskas Vaidas , Valkiūnas Gediminas , Hellgren Olof
Published: March 2017

Malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.) include some of the world's most widespread and virulent pathogens. Our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms these parasites use to invade and exploit their hosts other than in mice and primates is, however, extremely limited. It is therefore imperative to characterize transcriptome‐wide gene expression from nonmodel malaria parasites and how this varies across individual hosts. Here, we used high‐throughput Illumina RNA sequencing on blood from wild‐caught Eurasian siskins experimentally infected with a clonal strain of the avian malaria parasite Plasmodium ashfordi (lineage GRW2). Using a bioinformatic multistep approach to filter out host transcripts, we successfully assembled the blood‐stage transcriptome of P. ashfordi. A total of 11 954 expressed transcripts were identified, and 7860 were annotated with protein information. We quantified gene expression levels of all parasite transcripts across three hosts during two infection stages – peak and decreasing parasitemia. Interestingly, parasites from the same host displayed remarkably similar expression profiles during different infection stages, but showed large differences across hosts, indicating that P. ashfordi may adjust its gene expression to specific host individuals. We further show that the majority of transcripts are most similar to the human parasite Plasmodium falciparum, and a large number of red blood cell invasion genes were discovered, suggesting evolutionary conserved invasion strategies between mammalian and avian Plasmodium. The transcriptome of P. ashfordi and its host‐specific gene expression advances our understanding of Plasmodium plasticity and is a valuable resource as it allows for further studies analysing gene evolution and comparisons of parasite gene expression.
Museums of Europe: Tangles of Memory, Borders, and Race
Authors: De Cesari Chiara
Published: March 2017

In this article I investigate the making of two new museums of Europe—Marseille's Museum of the Civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean and Berlin's Museum of European Cultures—by focusing on the kinds of “Europe” envisioned in their exhibitions. I argue that museums represent an important site where the geopolitical imaginary of a bounded, culturalized Europe is produced, even if by default. I explore how these older national folklore collections were strategically rebranded as museums of Europe to give a second life to their nearly obsolete displays. National projects and geopolitics play a key role in such memorial Europeanization. These insights challenge taken‐for‐granted understandings of scale in memory studies and offer a more nuanced understanding of how Europeanization is playing out within cultural institutions. Amid multiple European crises, “Europe” is increasingly imagined as a diverse but essentially united cultural space—however fuzzy and contested its cultural content may be—while this spatial imaginary is racialized in subtle ways.
The Limits of Recognition: The Spirit Sings, Canadian Museums and the Colonial Politics of Recognition
Authors: Wrightson Kelsey R.
Published: March 2017

This article critiques the settler colonial politics of recognition in relation to Canadian museological practice. Despite a strong intellectual legacy critiquing asymmetric power relations and the problems of representing “otherness,” there have been few sustained examinations of the ways in which museums are implicated in settler colonial regimes of power. Dene scholar Glen Coulthard has written extensively on the manner in which the “politics of recognition” perpetuates settler colonialism in Canada. I argue that the normative shifts in Canadian museum practice post‐1988 exemplify institutionalized shifts toward the colonial politics of recognition within Canadian museums. Further, I find that this is part of ongoing settler colonial practices of domination. I argue that current museological practice, particularly as it relates to Indigenous pieces within museums, must include a critique of the settler colonial politics of recognition as part of both critical analysis and normative orientation.