bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optogenetic activation of SST-positive interneurons restores hippocampal theta oscillation impairment induced by soluble amyloid beta oligomersin vivo
Authors: Chung Hyowon , Park Kyerl , Jang Hyun Jae , Kohl Michael M , Kwag Jeehyun
Published: November 2018

Abnormal accumulation of amyloid β oligomers (AβO) is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which leads to learning and memory deficits. Hippocampal theta oscillations that are critical in spatial navigation, learning and memory are impaired in AD. Since GABAergic interneurons, such as somatostatin-positive (SST+) and parvalbumin-positive (PV+) interneurons, are believed to play key roles in the hippocampal oscillogenesis, we asked whether AβO selectively impairs these SST+ and PV+ interneurons. To selectively manipulate SST+ or PV+ interneuron activity in mice with AβO pathologyin vivo, we co-injected AβO and adeno-associated virus (AAV) for expressing floxed channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) into the hippocampus of SST-Cre or PV-Cre mice. Local field potential (LFP) recordingsin vivoin these AβO–injected mice showed a reduction in the peak power of theta oscillations and desynchronization of spikes from CA1 pyramidal neurons relative to theta oscillations compared to those in control mice. Optogenetic-activation of SST+ but not PV+ interneurons in AβO–injected mice fully restored the peak power of theta oscillations and resynchronized the theta spike phases to a level observed in control mice.In vitrowhole-cell voltage-clamp recordings in CA1 pyramidal neurons in hippocampal slices treated with AβO revealed that short-term plasticity of SST+ interneuron inhibitory inputs to CA1 pyramidal neurons at theta frequency were selectively disrupted while that of PV+ interneuron inputs were unaffected. Together, our results suggest that dysfunction in inputs from SST+ interneurons to CA1 pyramidal neurons may underlie the impairment of theta oscillations observed in AβO-injected micein vivo.Our findings identify SST+ interneurons as a target for restoring theta-frequency oscillations in early AD.
Stress activity is not predictive of coping style in North American red squirrels
Authors: Westrick Sarah E. , van Kesteren Freya , Palme Rupert , Boonstra Rudy , Lane Jeffery E. , Boutin Stan , McAdam Andrew G. , Dantzer Ben
Published: November 2018

Individuals vary in their behavioral and physiological responses to environmental changes. These behavioral responses are often described as ‘coping styles’ along a proactive-reactive continuum. Studies in laboratory populations often, but not always, find that behavioral responses and physiological responses to stressors covary, where more proactive (more aggressive and active) individuals have a lower physiological stress response, specifically as measured by hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity. These studies support the possibility of hormonal pleiotropy underlying the presentation of behaviors that make up the proactive-reactive phenotype. However, recent research in wild populations is equivocal, with some studies reporting the same pattern as found in many controlled laboratory studies, whereas others do not. We tested the hypothesis that physiological and behavioral stress responses are correlated in wild adult North American red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We used fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) as a non-invasive, integrated estimate of circulating glucocorticoids for our measurement of HPA axis activity. We found that FCM concentrations were not correlated with three measures of behavioral coping styles (activity, aggression, and docility) among individuals. This does not support the hypothesis that hormonal pleiotropy underlies a proactive-reactive continuum of coping styles. Instead, our results support the “two-tier” hypothesis that behavioral and physiological stress responses are independent and uncorrelated traits among individuals in wild populations that experience naturally varying environments rather than controlled environments. If also found in other studies, this may alter our predictions about the evolutionary consequences of behavioral and endocrine coping styles in free-living animals.

Significance Statement

Individuals vary in how they respond to stressors through behavior and physiology, but we find the two responses are independent in wild animals. Many laboratory studies find links between the behavioral and physiological stress responses, however studies conducted with wild populations are less conclusive. In wild North American red squirrels, independence between the physiological response and behavioral response may allow adaptive responses to a changing environment without pleiotropic constraint.
Comparing psychopathology rates across autism spectrum disorders and intellectual disabilities
Authors: Matthews Martyn , Bell Elliot , Mirfin-Veitch Brigit
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the rates and patterns of comorbid anxiety, depression and ADHD across people with: autism spectrum disorder (ASD) plus intellectual disability (ID), ASD/no ID (AS/HFA) and ID only.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were obtained using structured file review and two psychometric screening instruments. File reviews used a modified version of the Case Review Protocol from the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for Use with Adults with Learning Disabilities. Screening employed the Reiss Screen for Maladaptive Behaviour and the ASD-Comorbidity-Adults scale.

Findings

Levels of anxiety, depression and ADHD were high for all three groups, and greater than in general population studies. Between groups, the AS/HFA sample had significantly higher anxiety, while the ASD/ID group had significantly greater ADHD. Groups did not differ on measures of depression or total psychopathology. Levels of ADHD, but not anxiety or depression, increased with severity of ID and ASD symptoms.

Research limitations/implications

More research is needed on the relationship between ASD and both anxiety and ADHD, particularly the identification of these comorbid conditions and their treatment.

Practical implications

Rigorous screening for comorbid mental health conditions is required to achieve the best outcomes for adults with ASD.

Originality/value

The study used a broader community-based sample than previous comorbidity research. Including adults with ID but without ASD enabled a comparison of types and rates of disorder across three distinct but related groups with neurodevelopmental disorders.
On the organic combination of public ownership and market economy
Authors: Zhang Yu
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Since the implementation of reform and opening up, China has made remarkable achievement in terms of economic reform and development. China’s path, as well as its experience, has simultaneously gained worldwide concerns. Developing the market economy against the backdrop of socialism brings conclusions from China’s achievement, deepens knowledge of China’s pathway and builds a socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics. That is the way to realise a basic socialist system, especially with regards to the organic integration of public ownership and market economy. This combination determines the future of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the success or failure of economic restructuring. Therefore, it requires consideration and in-depth study. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The goal of economic restructuring is to establish and develop the socialist market economy. Its main content can be summarised in two parts. The first is the relationship between plan and market or government and market. The second is compatibility or combination of public ownership and market economy. The former is one of the superficial problems, relevant to resource allocation method or economic operation mechanism. The latter stems from deep-rooted problems, represented by ownership or the underlying economic system. These two work together to form the organic integrity of socialist market economy where both similarities and contrasts coexist.

Findings

The shared ideal of socialism with Chinese characteristics and the lofty goals of communism will then become empty words. In this sense we can say that, whether we can realise the unity and opposition between public ownership and market economy and better integrate advantages of socialist system with strengths of market economy, will to a large extent determine the future and destiny of the socialist market economy.

Originality/value

As previously mentioned, the relationship between plan and market or government and market are part of resource allocation methods or economic operation mechanism. Compatibility and combination, however, with public ownership and market economy are part of an ownership or basic economic system. Science reveals the nature and developmental law of the socialist market economy. An in-depth study must be conducted on the relationship between public ownership and market economy.
Yemen and education
Authors: Webb Carol
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to draw from up-to-date reports that outline the current situation for Yemen in terms of education and the socio-political context, and to address this context with theory from the complexity science domain in order to propose practical recommendations.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper outlines highlights from the current situation in Yemen, namely, the challenges presented by conflict, and international engagement in conflict, and offers an appraisal of key factors pertaining to education and progress made in this arena in recent years. A focus is made on tribal groups as a starting point for bottom-up emergent engagement, and complexity science is suggested as a theoretical domain to draw from to conceptualise how to enact this.

Findings

A discussion of how complexity science could be meaningfully applied to the case of education in Yemen is presented, along with seven recommendations for the focus of future international aid interventions in Yemen.

Originality/value

At this time, there are few, if no, other works that have been found that have considered the case of education in Yemen in this way from the perspective of a bottom-up emergent engagement with tribes as a way of leveraging the values-based system of tribal customary law in order to address sustainability development goals, literacy, integration in digital society and education as a means of approaching these issues.
Making sense of consumers’ tweets
Authors: Pantano Eleonora , Giglio Simona , Dennis Charles
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Consumers online interactions, posts, rating and ranking, reviews of products/attractions/restaurants and so on lead to a massive amount of data that marketers might access to improve the decision-making process, by impacting the competitive and marketing intelligence. The purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of consumers online-generated contents in terms of positive or negative comments to increase marketing intelligence.

Design/methodology/approach

The research focuses on the collection of 9,652 tweets referring to three fast fashion retailers of different sizes operating in the UK market, which have been shared among consumers and between consumer and firm, and subsequently evaluated through a sentiment analysis based on machine learning.

Findings

Findings provide the comparison and contrast of consumers’ response toward the different retailers, while providing useful guidelines to systematically making sense of consumers’ tweets and enhancing marketing intelligence.

Practical implications

The research provides an effective and systemic approach to accessing the rich data set on consumers’ experiences based the massive number of contents that consumers generate and share online and investigating this massive amount of data to achieve insights able to impact on retailers’ marketing intelligence.

Originality/value

To best of the authors’ knowledge, while other authors tried to identify the effect of positive or negative online comments/posts/reviews, the present study is the first one to show how to systematically detect the positive or negative sentiments of shared tweets for improving the marketing intelligence of fast fashion retailers.
Open access institutional repositories in universities in East Africa
Authors: Kakai Miriam , Musoke Maria G.N. , Okello-Obura Constant
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Given that repositories were proposed as one of the routes to open access (OA), this study sought to establish the achievements universities in East Africa had attained in initiating institutional repositories (IRs), the challenges in providing OA and strategies for the way forward.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected through literature searches, using the internet, journal databases and university websites in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda for information about OA and IRs in East Africa. Some of the findings were based on the author’s PhD “The management and accessibility of OA IRs in selected universities in East Africa”, which used face-to-face interviews with six librarians and self-administered questionnaires responded to by 183 researchers at Kenyatta University, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences and Makerere University.

Findings

Universities in East Africa were still in the intermediate stages of embracing OA, and only 40 libraries out of 145 universities had implemented IRs. However, most of the repositories had less than 1,000 items, with this challenge attributed to the absence of institutional and government/funder mandates that affected the collection/provision of OA, in addition to the lack of awareness of IRs among researchers.

Originality/value

The value in this research was establishing the extent of IR initiatives in universities in East Africa and their contribution to OA, which is regarded as more visible and accessible to scholars and government personnel who could leverage the information for further development in the region.
Exploring the utility of Academia.edu: a SWOT analysis
Authors: Williams Ann E.
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to analyze the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the academic social networking, Academia.edu.

Design/methodology/approach

SWOT analysis is performed to evaluate the platform.

Findings

Academia.edu provides resources that enable scholars to heighten the impact and reach of their research within a digitally networked environment.

Originality/value

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the scholarly merits of Academia.edu.
The unified crime theory and the social correlates of crime and violence: problems and solutions
Authors: Kavish Nicholas , Boutwell Brian
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Criminology has produced more than a century of informative research on the social correlates of criminal behavior. Recently, a growing body of theoretical and empirical work has begun to apply evolutionary principles, particularly from life history theory (LHT), to the study of crime. As this body of research continues to grow, it is important that work in this area synthesizes evolutionary principles with the decades of sociological research on the correlates of crime. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

The current paper reviews the brief history of research applying life history concepts to criminology, providing an overview of the underlying framework, exploring examples of empirically testable and tested hypotheses that have been derived from the theory, discussing cautions and criticisms of life history research, and discussing how this area of research can be further integrated with existing theory.

Findings

A growing body of research has, with relative consistency, associated indicators of a faster life history strategy with aggression and violence in humans and across the animal kingdom. Research into these associations is still vulnerable to genetic confounding and more research with genetically sensitive designs is needed. The use of hypotheses informed by evolutionary insight and tested with genetically sensitive designs provides the best option for understanding how environmental factors can have an impact on violent and criminal behavior.

Originality/value

The current paper provides an updated review of the growing application of LHT to the study of human behavior and acknowledges criticisms and areas of concern that need to be considered when forming hypotheses for research.
Development of an Industry 4.0 maturity model for the delivery process in supply chains
Authors: Asdecker Björn , Felch Vanessa
Published: November 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to show that current Industry 4.0 maturity models primarily focus on manufacturing processes. Until now, research has been lacking with regard to outbound logistics, that is, the delivery process. This paper develops such a model.

Design/methodology/approach

Methodologically, this paper is grounded in design science research (DSR) and rigorously follows the model development guidelines presented by De Bruinet al.(2005). This work builds on current maturity models and original empirical research to populate and test the model.

Findings

The model appears to be applicable to describing the status quo of the digitization efforts in outbound logistics, developing a corporate vision for delivery logistics excellence and providing guidance on the development path.

Research limitations/implications

Thus far, the model has been applied only for a development stakeholder. For further validation, the authors are currently working on additional case studies to demonstrate the model’s applicability.

Practical implications

The developed model provides guidance for the digitization of an important value-adding activity in supply chain management: the delivery process.

Originality/value

To the authors’ knowledge, the proposed model is the first to explicitly consider the delivery process; therefore, it complements available approaches that focus on the manufacturing process. Moreover, the results show that the widely used Supply Chain Operations Reference model can serve as the basis for additional process maturity models.
Deepening democracy or stabilization?
Authors: Hatab Shimaa
Published: November 2018

Purpose

Is the need for stability pre-empting the need for democratic values? How can the EU cope with two contradictory security requirements: the need to promote democratic norms and to secure geostrategic interests? This paper takes on the security-democracy dilemma in a complex way that transcends the realpolitik frame overshadowing the analysis of the EU’s policy orientation in the Southern Mediterranean while considering its normative role as a fig leaf for security interests.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper investigates the EU’s foreign policy orientation reflected in the ENP in terms of the two logics of action of consequentialism and appropriateness. Tracing changes at the policy level over time between 2011 and 2015, the paper zooms into the implementation of the “new” ENP in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia to highlight additional variation across countries.

Findings

Building on a document analysis of the official declarations for the policy-making level and of ENP action plans for the implementation level, the paper argues that local political dynamics and the level of the EU’s threat perception shape the EU’s response to the partner countries.
Protective effects of diphenyleneiodonium, an NADPH oxidase inhibitor, on lipopolysaccharide‐induced acute lung injury
Authors: Kim Sung Kyoung , Rho Seung Joon , Kim Seung Hoon , Kim Shin Young , Song So Hyang , Yoo Jin Young , Kim Chi Hong , Lee Sang Haak
Published: November 2018

NADPH oxidase (NOX) plays an important role in inflammatory response by producing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The inhibition of NOX has been shown to induce anti‐inflammatory effects in a few experimental models. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diphenyleneiodonium (DPI), a NOX inhibitor, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced acute lung injury (ALI) in a rat model. Sprague‐Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administered by DPI (5 mg/kg) 30 minutes after intratracheal instillation of LPS (3 mg/kg). After 6 hours, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were collected. The NOX activity in lung tissue was significantly increased in LPS‐treated rats. It was significantly attenuated by DPI. DPI‐treated rats showed significant reduction in the intracellular ROS, the number of inflammatory cells, and cytokines (TNF‐α and IL‐6) in BALF compared with LPS‐treated rats. In lung tissue, DPI‐treated rats showed significantly decreased malondialdehyde content and increased activity of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase compared with LPS‐treated rats. Lung injury score, myeloperoxidase activity, and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression were significantly decreased in DPI‐treated rats compared with LPS‐treated animals. Western blotting analysis demonstrated that DPI significantly suppressed LPS‐induced activation of NF‐κB and ERK1/2 and SAPK/JNK in MAPK pathway. Our results suggest that DPI may have protective effects on LPS‐induced ALI thorough anti‐oxidative and anti‐inflammatory effects which may be due to inactivation of the NF‐κB, ERK1/2, and SAPK/JNK pathway. These results suggest the therapeutic potential of DPI as an anti‐inflammatory agent in ALI.
Encapsulation in an alginate–goats’ milk–inulin matrix improves survival of probiotic Bifidobacterium in simulated gastrointestinal conditions and goats’ milk yoghurt
Authors: Pradeep Prasanna P H , Charalampopoulos Dimitris
Published: November 2018

In this work, a new encapsulating matrix, alginate–goats’ milk–inulin, was used to encapsulate Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BB‐12. The addition of inulin resulted in capsules with a compact structure, and a higher probiotic cell count under simulated gastrointestinal conditions and in probiotic goats’ milk yoghurt during refrigerated storage. Encapsulation of the probiotic bacteria led to slower post‐acidification yoghurts. The results of this study showed that the alginate–goats’ milk–inulin matrix has potential to be used as a new encapsulation material to encapsulate probiotics for use in goats’ milk‐based probiotic fermented dairy products, avoiding the cross‐contamination caused by using capsules based on cows’ milk.
‘To Die as a Soldier’: The Vital Romance of the Military Novel
Authors: Ramsey Neil
Published: November 2018

Critics have generally dismissed the military novel as simply a minor version of the historical novel. This article reassesses the genre by examining what the Quarterly Review saw as the first ‘military novel’, Thomas Hamilton's Youth and Manhood of Cyril Thornton (1827). It argues that, while his novel is modelled on Scott's historical novels, Hamilton also established an entirely new aesthetics, based on the soldier's suffering body. Reading this aesthetic in relation to a biopolitics of life emerging in the long eighteenth century, the article proposes that the novel constructs a new version of military honour for the modern nation.
Napoleon as Philoctetes: Military Masculinity, Sacrifice and the Image of the Wound
Authors: Shaw Philip
Published: November 2018

This article focuses on images of the wounded Napoleon in order to draw some broader conclusions about the sacrificial underpinnings of the French empire. The article considers how graphic representations of the wounded Napoleon Bonaparte helped to negotiate the complex relations between acknowledgements of corporeal vulnerability, ideas of military masculinity and assertions of national unanimity. Particular attention is paid to Pierre Gautherot's painting Napoléon blessé au pied devant Ratisbonne (1810) and to an anonymous graphic satire, Nicolas Philoctète dans l'îsle d'Elbe (1814‐15).
Introduction
Authors: Shaw Philip , Van Der Haven Cornelis
Published: November 2018

This article provides an introduction to the Journal for Eighteenth‐Century Studies special issue ‘Passions of War: Gender, Sexuality and Conflict in the Long Eighteenth Century’. Following an overview of the rationale for the AHRC Research Network ‘Passions of War: Cross‐Disciplinary Perspectives on Gender, Sexuality and Conflict, 1550‐1945’, the introduction goes on to discuss the literary, artistic, historical and intellectual contexts that inform the issue. Particular attention is paid to the representation of military masculinities, sexual violence, cross‐dressing, same‐sex intimacies and to alternative interpretations of gendered patterns of behaviour. The introduction then offers summary accounts of the individual articles.
Military Men of Feeling? Gender Boundaries and Military–Civil Encounters in Two German Soldier Plays (1760‐80)
Authors: Van Der Haven Cornelis
Published: November 2018

The eighteenth‐century culture of sentimentality, especially in its literary form, is often associated with questions of gender and sexuality. This article investigates the effects of literary sentimentalism on the reformulation of acceptable modes of masculinity, which tends to be neglected in scholarly literature about the period. To do so, it analyses two popular eighteenth‐century German soldier plays against the background of a clash between two gendered emotional communities. These plays enabled audiences to reflect on the ways in which changing conceptions of gendered identity inform military–civil encounters and the affective bonds between soldiers and citizens.
Effect of phytic acid on the setting times and tensile strengths of calcium silicate‐based cements
Authors: Uyanik Ozgur , Nagas Emre , Kucukkaya Eren Selen , Cehreli Zafer C. , Vallittu Pekka K. , Lassila Lippo V.J.
Published: November 2018

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of 1% phytic acid as a mixing medium on the setting times and diametral tensile strengths of different calcium silicate‐based cements. Specimens for four experimental groups (n = 20/each) were fabricated by mixing ProRoot MTA® (Dentsply) and Biodentine® (Septodont) powders with their original liquids or with 1% phytic acid. Half of the samples in each group were immediately subjected to setting time tests, whereas the remaining half was subjected to the diametral tensile strength test after 3 weeks. When mixed with their original liquids, the setting time of MTA was significantly longer than that of Biodentine® (P < 0.05). When mixed with phytic acid, the initial and final setting times of both test materials significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The diametral tensile strength of Biodentine® was significantly greater than that of MTA (P < 0.05). However, phytic acid had no effect on this outcome (P > 0.05).
Geographic Concentration in Indian Manufacturing and Service Industries: Evidence from 1998 to 2013
Authors: Amirapu Amrit , Hasan Rana , Jiang Yi , Klein Alex
Published: November 2018

This paper uses a comprehensive new data source to document basic facts about geographic concentration among industries in India from 1998 to 2013. Unlike previous studies, our data allow us to accurately measure industrial concentration at the district level and cover manufacturing and services, as well as the formal and informal sectors. Our most striking finding is that average levels of industrial concentration fell dramatically between 1998 and 2013, driven by steep reductions in capital‐intensive manufacturing industries. We provide suggestive evidence that this increasing dispersion may be due to improvements in interregional transportation coupled with inefficient land management policies and limited labor mobility.
Chimpanzees and their mammalian sympatriates in the Issa Valley, Tanzania
Authors: Piel Alex K. , Bonnin Noemie , RamirezAmaya Sebastian , Wondra Eden , Stewart Fiona A.
Published: November 2018

Chimpanzees have been studied for nearly 300 combined years across Africa, but aside from their roles as predators or prey, remarkably little is known about the diverse species with whom they share habitats. We calculated likely chimpanzee encounter rates with sympatric mammals in the Issa Valley, Tanzania, through modelling actual researcher encounter rates with all medium and large mammals. Compared to other long‐term chimpanzee study sites, Issa had a relatively high diversity in medium and large mammal species present, with 36 species documented. We encountered common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia) most frequently, followed by yellow baboons (Papio cynocephalus) and bushbuck. Chimpanzees ranked fifth overall. Chimpanzees, on the other hand, were predicted to most frequently encounter bushbuck, klipspringer and hartebeest—all woodland species. We compare these results to published literature and contextualise them in light of reconstructing diverse mammalian communities in which hominins lived during the Plio‐Pleistocene and the use of chimpanzees as flagship species for conservation policy.
Could fragmented QRS predict mortality in aortic stenosis patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement?
Authors: Gulsen Kamil , Ince Orhan , Kum Gokmen , Ozkalayci Flora , Sahin Irfan , Okuyan Ertugrul
Published: November 2018

Background

Fragmented QRS evaluated in 12‐derivation electrocardiography has widely been accepted as a sign of myocardial fibrosis. The prognostic value of that marker has been demonstrated, particularly, in cardiac diseases that accompany myocardial scar and fibrosis. Myocardial fibrosis is also an issue in patients with aortic stenosis. In this study, we wanted to determine whether fragmented QRS could predict all‐cause mortality in aortic stenosis patients after transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Method

In this study, we evaluated a total of 116 eligible patients on whom we performed TAVR between 2014 and 2018. Patients' demographic and clinical findings, echocardiography results, in‐hospital and 30‐day mortality, long‐term survival statuses were noted. Patient's ECGs before the procedure were evaluated in regard to the occurrence of fragmented QRS. Predictors of mortality were evaluated using univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis.

Results

The study population consisted of 116 patients of median age 79 (IQR 75–83), 64 females (55.2%). Mortality occurred in 27 (23%) patients; median follow‐up time was 319 (IQR 122–719) days. Fragmented QRS was observed in 44 out of 116 (37.9%) patients. The presence of a fragmented QRS (HR = 2.178, 95% CI 0.999–4.847, p = 0.050), a history of stroke (HR = 3.463, 95% CI 1.276–9.398, p = 0.015), and the creatinine levels at admission (HR = 2.198, 95% CI 1.068–4.520, p = 0.030) were associated with the long‐term mortality in multivariable Cox regression analysis.

Conclusion

Like in the case of the other diseases associated with myocardial fibrosis, fragmented QRS could also predict mortality in aortic stenosis patients after TAVR procedure.
VA‐ECMO Support in Nonsurgical Patients With Refractory Cardiogenic Shock: Pre‐Implant Outcome Predictors
Authors: Fux Thomas , Holm Manne , Corbascio Matthias , Lund Lars H. , van der Linden Jan
Published: November 2018

Refractory cardiogenic shock (RCS) is associated with a high mortality. Veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA‐ECMO) is increasingly used as acute cardiopulmonary support but selection of VA‐ECMO candidates remains challenging. There are limited data on which pre‐VA‐ECMO variables that predict outcome. The aim of this study was to identify pre‐VA‐ECMO predictors of 90‐day mortality. We retrospectively analyzed 76 consecutive patients (median age 52; interquartile range [IQR]: 37–60) supported with VA‐ECMO due to RCS. The association between pre‐implant variables and all‐cause mortality at 90 days was analyzed with multivariable logistic regression. Main etiologies of RCS were acute myocardial infarction 51% and other AHF etiologies 49%. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed in 54% of patients before initiation of VA‐ECMO. Median duration of VA‐ECMO was 5 days (IQR: 2–11). The 90‐day overall mortality was 49% and in‐hospital mortality was 50%; 46% died on VA‐ECMO, 37% were successfully weaned, 13% were bridged to heart transplantation, and 4% to left ventricular assist device. Multivariable logistic regression analysis identified arterial lactate (odds ratio [OR] per mmol/L: 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.06–1.24; P = 0.001) and number of inotropes and vasopressors (OR per agent: 2.14; 95% CI: 1.26–3.63; P = 0.005) as independent predictors of 90‐day mortality. In RCS patients arterial lactate level and number of inotropes and vasopressors were identified as independent pre‐VA‐ECMO predictors of 90‐day mortality. Thus, the severity of cardiogenic shock expressed as levels of lactate and vasoactive agents just before start of VA‐ECMO may be more predictive of outcome than the specific etiology of cardiogenic shock.
The bowel movement characteristics of exclusively breastfed and exclusively formula fed infants differ during the first three months of life
Authors: Moretti Emilie , Rakza Thameur , Mestdagh Béatrice , Labreuche Julien , Turck Dominique
Published: November 2018

Aim

Breastfed infants pass more stools and more liquid stools than formula fed infants and some have no bowel movements or infrequent stools for several days or weeks. We compared exclusively breastfed and exclusively formula fed infants for the first three months.

Methods

This study of 118 infants was carried out in the maternity ward of the Lille University Jeanne de Flandre Hospital, France, in 2015. The outcomes were the number and consistency of stools and the prevalence of infrequent stools.

Results

At three months, 84 infants remained and we compared 40 who were exclusively breastfed and 13 who were exclusively formula fed. Daily stool frequency was significantly higher in the breastfed than formula fed infants during the first (4.9 ± 1.7 vs. 2.3 ± 1.6, p < 0.001) and second (3.2 ± 1.6 vs. 1.6 ± 1.5, p = 0.003) months. Stools were more liquid in the breastfed infants during the first three months. Infrequent stools occurred in 28% of breastfed and 8% of formula fed infants at least once. (p = 0.25).

Conclusion

Exclusively breastfed infants produced more stools than exclusively formula fed infants during the first two months and more liquid stools during the first three. Infrequent stools were 3.5 times more likely in the breastfed infants.
The effect of caffeine loading on cerebral autoregulation in preterm infants
Authors: Huvanandana Jacqueline , Thamrin Cindy , Hinder Murray , McEwan Alistair , Tracy Mark B.
Published: November 2018

Aim

To evaluate cerebral autoregulation changes in preterm infants receiving a loading dose of caffeine base.

Methods

In a cohort of 30 preterm infants, we extracted measures of cerebral autoregulation using time and frequency domain techniques to determine the correlation between mean arterial pressure (MAP) and tissue oxygenation index (TOI) signals. These measures included the cerebral oximetry index (COx), cross‐correlation and coherence measures, and were extracted prior to caffeine loading and in the 2 hours following administration of 10 mg/kg caffeine base.

Results

We observed acute reductions in time domain correlation measures, including the cerebral oximetry index (linear mixed model coefficient −0.093, standard error 0.04; p = 0.028) and the detrended cross‐correlation coefficient (ρ5 coefficient −0.13, standard error 0.055; p = 0.025). These reductions suggested an acute improvement in cerebral autoregulation. Features from detrended cross‐correlation analysis also showed greater discriminative value than other methods in identifying changes prior to and following caffeine administration.

Conclusion

We observed a reduced correlation between MAP and TOI from near‐infrared spectroscopy following caffeine administration. These findings suggest an acute enhanced capacity for cerebral autoregulation following a loading dose of caffeine in preterm infants, contributing to our understanding of the physiological impact of caffeine therapy.
Is It Hop? Identifying Hop Fibres in a European Historical Context
Authors: Lukešová H. , Andersen H. L. , Kolínová M. , Holst B.
Published: November 2018

Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an ancient perennial crop plant, native to the Northern Hemisphere. The archaeological evidence dates back to at least the sixth century ad in Europe. Hop has been used for beer brewing, in sleeping draughts, as bedding and for antibacterial purposes. Less known is that hop fibres have also been used for textiles and paper. However, it is difficult to distinguish hop from other bast fibres. Here, we present a set of fibre features, which, when found together in an archaeological/historical material within a European context, provide a strong indication that the fibres are hop.
Flags, society and space: Towards a research agenda for vexillgeography
Authors: Medway Dominic , Light Duncan , Warnaby Gary , Byrom John , Young Craig
Published: November 2018

This paper proposes that flags are an important but under‐theorised aspect of geographical inquiry and seeks to outline a new field of “vexillgeography,” which critically embraces the spatiality and performativity of flags. We start by outlining the potential of semiotics (and geosemiotics) to further our understanding of flags, focusing on iconic, indexical and symbolic modes of representation in relation to flag design and the marking of territories and boundaries. In so doing, we highlight the importance of flags in the ordering of both Cartesian and relational space. We then examine flags from a performativity perspective, emphasising their role as actants within wider assemblages, and the everyday affective and emotional responses to flying (and viewing) flags. We conclude by outlining an agenda for critical research into vexillgeographies, to explore the multiplicity of ways in which flags (or flag assemblages) can contribute to the construction of spatial meaning.
Predictors of first‐year nonadherence and discontinuation of statins among older adults: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Ofori‐Asenso Richard , Ilomäki Jenni , Tacey Mark , Si Si , Curtis Andrea J. , Zomer Ella , Bell J. Simon , Zoungas Sophia , Liew Danny
Published: November 2018

Aims

The aim of this study was to examine the level of and predictors of statin nonadherence and discontinuation among older adults.

Methods

Among 22 340 Australians aged ≥65 years who initiated statin therapy from January 2014 to December 2015, we estimated the first‐year nonadherence (proportion of days covered [PDC] <0.80) and discontinuation (≥90 days without statin coverage) rates. Predictors of nonadherence and discontinuation were examined via multivariable logistic regression. Analyses were performed separately for general beneficiaries (with a higher co‐payment; n = 4841) and concessional beneficiaries (with a lower co‐payment; n = 17 499).

Results

During the one‐year follow‐up, 55.1% were nonadherent (concessional 52.6%; general beneficiaries 64.2%) and 44.7% discontinued statins (concessional 43.1%; general beneficiaries 50.4%). Among concessional beneficiaries, those aged 75–84 years and ≥85 years were more likely to discontinue than people aged 65–74 years (odds ratio 1.11, 95% confidence interval 1.04–1.19 and 1.38, 1.23–1.54, respectively). Diabetes was associated with an increased likelihood of nonadherence and discontinuation, while hypertension, angina and congestive heart failure were associated with a lower likelihood of nonadherence and discontinuation. Anxiety was associated with an increased likelihood of discontinuation, but polypharmacy (concurrent use of five or more drugs) was associated with a lower likelihood of nonadherence and discontinuation. Statin initiation by a general medical practitioner was associated with both increased likelihood of nonadherence and discontinuation. Similar predictors of nonadherence and discontinuation were identified for the general beneficiaries.

Conclusions

Among older adults prescribed statins, first‐year nonadherence and discontinuation are high. Specific population subgroups such as people aged ≥85 years, those with diabetes or anxiety may require additional attention to improve statin adherence.
Paediatric extrapolation: A necessary paradigm shift
Authors: Ollivier Cécile , Mulugeta Yeruk (Lily) , Ruggieri Lucia , Saint‐Raymond Agnes , Yao Lynne
Published: November 2018

Legislative initiatives have been successful in increasing the availability of approved therapies for paediatric patients. However, additional measures to ensure the timely completion of paediatric studies are necessary to further increase the number of medicines available to children. Over the last 3 years, international experts convened to revise the ICH E11 guideline on clinical investigations of medicinal products in paediatric populations to harmonize approaches to paediatric extrapolation, striving to reduce substantial differences between regions in the acceptance of data for global paediatric medicine development programmes. Several areas of therapeutics development in children, such as human immunodeficiency virus and partial‐onset seizures, have been streamlined and require fewer children enrolled in clinical trials because of the appropriate application of paediatric extrapolation. Based on this experience, it is clear that for paediatric extrapolation strategies to reach their full potential there is the need to understand the quality and quantity of data, often collected in adult patients, that will inform the appropriateness of the use of paediatric extrapolation, as well as to identify gaps in knowledge with respect to disease pathophysiology, organ maturation or drug target ontogeny. The generation of information that enhances our current understanding of these gaps in knowledge can further decrease the need for larger, paediatric clinical trials and can increase the efficiency of paediatric therapeutics development as well as protect children from participation in unnecessary studies. We hope that this publication will increase awareness, input and support from all the stakeholders involved in paediatric therapeutics development.
NO as a multimodal transmitter in the brain: discovery and current status
Authors: Garthwaite John
Published: November 2018

NO operates throughout the brain as an intercellular messenger, initiating its varied physiological effects by activating specialized GC‐coupled receptors, resulting in the formation of cGMP. In line with the widespread expression of this pathway, NO participates in numerous different brain functions. This review gives an account of the discovery of NO as a signalling molecule in the brain, experiments that originated in the search for a mysterious cGMP‐stimulating factor released from central neurones when their NMDA receptors were stimulated, and summarizes the subsequent key steps that helped establish its status as a central transmitter. Currently, various modes of operation are viewed to underlie its diverse behaviour, ranging from very local signalling between synaptic partners (in the orthograde or retrograde directions) to a volume‐type transmission whereby NO synthesized by multiple synchronous sources summate spatially and temporally to influence intermingled neuronal or non‐neuronal cells, irrespective of anatomical connectivity.

Linked Articles

This article is part of a themed section on Nitric Oxide 20 Years from the 1998 Nobel Prize. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.v176.2/issuetoc
Positive Risk Taking in Adolescence
Authors: Duell Natasha , Steinberg Laurence
Published: November 2018

Adolescents are more likely to take risks than children or adults. This propensity can be directed toward negative (illegal and dangerous) or positive (socially acceptable and constructive) risk behaviors. Adolescents who take positive risks include teenagers winning Olympic medals for landing snowboard tricks and students protesting gun violence on a national platform. Yet little is known about the nature of positive risk taking because much of the research on adolescent risk taking has focused on negative risks, such as substance use or delinquency. In this article, we offer a theoretical model of positive risk taking, briefly review research on positive risk taking, and discuss theoretical correlates of positive risk taking based on models of adolescent risk taking. We aim to identify positive risks as a unique class of socially acceptable risks in which youth engage in addition to negative risks.
CCR6 defines a subset of activated memory T cells of Th17 potential in immune thrombocytopenia
Authors: Lyu M , Li Y , Hao Y , Lyu C , Huang Y , Sun B , Li H , Xue F , Liu X , Yang R
Published: November 2018

Current researches have determined the significance of C-C chemokine receptor (CCR)6 expression as either a marker of T helper cells (Th) or an effector and regulator of T cell function. However, the roles of CCR6 in the pathogenesis of immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) are unclear. In this study, we aimed to investigate the phenotype and functional characteristics of circulating CCR6+ T cells in blood from chronic ITP patients and healthy controls. We found that the frequency of CCR6+CD4+ cells was higher in ITP patients than in healthy controls. Anti-CD3/anti-CD28 stimulation induced rapid expansion of CCR6+CD4+ cells in ITP patients. CCR6+CD4+ cells had a phenotype of activated cells and predominantly expressed CD45RO. Forkhead box protein P3 (FoxP3) and CD25-positive cells were exclusively detected within the CCR6+CD4+ cells. In ITP patients, CCR6+ regulatory T cells (Treg) were decreased and positively correlated with platelet counts and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β plasma levels. In contrast to CCR6– counterparts, CCR6+CD4+ cells produced higher levels of interleukin (IL)-17A. The frequency of CCR6+ Th17 was higher in ITP patients and positively correlated with IL-17A levels in supernatant. Most importantly, CCR6+CD4+ cell subpopulations, but not CCR6−CD4+, were closely correlated to treatment response of ITP patients. These findings suggest that circulating CCR6+CD4+ cells in ITP patients have characteristics of activated memory Th17 phenotype and could be used to monitor disease activity and treatment response.
Resveratrol reverses the negative effect of smoking on peri‐implant repair in the tibia of rats
Authors: Ribeiro Fernanda Vieira , Pimentel Suzana Peres , Corrêa Monica Grazieli , Bortoli João Paulo , Messora Michel Reis , Casati Marcio Zaffalon
Published: November 2018

Objectives

Innovative approaches capable to improve peri‐implant bone repair are relevant in the presence of smoking, a risk factor for healing around implants. This study investigated the effect of resveratrol (RESV) on peri‐implant repair, and its influence on bone‐related markers in rats submitted to cigarette smoking inhalation (CSI).

Materials and methods

One titanium implant was inserted in each tibiae of rats assigned to CSI+RESV (n:18); CSI+placebo (n:18); and non‐CSI (n:18). One implant was removed for counter torque, and the peri‐implant tissue was collected for mRNA quantification of BMP‐2, OPN, Runx2, Lrp‐5, Osx, β‐catenin, Dkk1, OPG, and RANKL. The other tibia was submitted to microCT to measure: bone volume, bone porosity, trabecular spacing, trabecular thickness, and bone‐implant contact (BIC).

Results

No differences were detected between counter torque in CSI+RESV and non‐CSI group (p > 0.05), whereas CSI+placebo group presented lower values when compared to the others (p < 0.05). RESV improved the BIC in CSI rats without differences when compared to non‐CSI group (p > 0.05), whereas CSI+placebo showed reduced BIC when compared to the other groups (p < 0.05). RESV reduced RANKL/OPG and Lrp‐5 levels and increased β‐catenin in CSI rats when compared to CSI+placebo (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

Although further investigations should be considered using oral models of dental implants, within the limits of the present study, it was concluded that RESV reverses the negative effects of smoking in the peri‐implant repair, benefiting the modulation of bone‐related markers.