bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Atp6v1b2Plays Important Roles in the Early Development of Hearing, the Pectoral Fin, the Cardiovascular System, and the Swim Bladder of the Zebrafish, Supporting a Role for the Gene in Syndromic Hearing Loss
Authors: Yuan Yongyi , Gao Xue , Xin Feng , Dai Pu
Published: August 2015

Background

TheATP6V1B2gene plays a critical role in the auditory system, and a mutation in this gene is one genetic cause of DDOD syndrome (Dominant deafness-onychodystrophy syndrome, MIM 124480) and ZLS (Zimmermann-Laband syndrome, MIM 135500). However, whether and howATP6V1B2is involved in the development of other organs remains unknown. In the present study, we explored the effect ofatp6v1b2knockdown on early zebrafish development and verified that this gene plays a role in syndromic hearing loss.

Methods

Three morpholinos (two splice-blocking, one translation-blocking) and theatp6v1b2c.1516 C>T plasmid were used to knockdown or overexpress atp6v1b2 in zebrafish after microinjection of fertilised embryos. Control andatp6v1b2embryo morphants were evaluated 6 days post-fertilisation in terms of motility, apoptosis, pectoral fin development, and hair cell number.

Results

Atp6v1b2-knockdown zebrafish exhibited decreased body length, pericardial oedema, hair cell loss, a non-inflated swim bladder, and shorter pectoral fins; the first three phenotypes were also evident in fish overexpressing the gene.

Conclusions

Atp6v1b2plays important roles in the development of hearing, the pectoral fin, the cardiovascular system, and the swim bladder, thereby supporting a role for this gene in syndromic hearing loss.
Core variability in substitution rates and the basal sequence characteristics of the human genome
Authors: Sahakyan Aleksandr B. , Balasubramanian Shankar
Published: August 2015

Accurate knowledge on the core components of substitution rates is of vital importance to understand genome evolution and dynamics. By performing a single-genome and direct analysis of 39894 retrotransposon remnants, we reveal germline sequence-dependent nucleotide substitution rates that can be assigned to each position in the human genome. Benefiting from the data made available in such detail, we show that a simulated genome, generated by equilibrating a random DNA sequence solely using our rate constants, exhibits nucleotide organisation close to that in the human genome. We next generate the germline basal substitution propensity (BSP) profile of the human genome and show a decreased tendency of moieties with low BSP to undergo somatic mutations in many cancer types.
Facing the heat: thermoregulation and behaviour of lowland species of a cold-dwelling butterfly genus,Erebia
Authors: Kleckova Irena , Klecka Jan
Published: August 2015

Understanding the potential of animals to immediately respond to changing temperatures is imperative for predicting the effects of climate change on biodiversity. Ectothermic animals, such as insects, use behavioural thermoregulation to keep their body temperature within suitable limits. It may be particularly important at warm margins of species occurrence, where populations are sensitive to increasing air temperatures. In the field, we studied thermal requirements and behavioural thermoregulation in low-altitude populations of the Satyrinae butterfliesErebia aethiops,E. euryaleandE. medusa. We compared the relationship of individual body temperature with air and microhabitat temperatures for the low-altitudeErebiaspecies to our data on seven mountain species, including a high-altitude population ofE. euryale, studied in the Alps. We found that the grassland butterflyE. medusawas well adapted to the warm lowland climate and it was active under the highest air temperatures and kept the highest body temperature of all species. Contrarily, the woodland species,E. aethiopsand a low-altitude population ofE. euryale, kept lower body temperatures and did not search for warm microclimates as much as other species. Furthermore, temperature-dependence of daily activities also differed between the three low-altitude and the mountain species. Lastly, the different responses to ambient temperature between the low- and high-altitude populations ofE. euryalesuggest possible local adaptations to different climates. We highlight the importance of habitat heterogeneity for long-term species survival, because it is expected to buffer climate change consequences by providing a variety of microclimates, which can be actively explored by adults. Alpine species can take advantage of warm microclimates, while low-altitude grassland species may retreat to colder microhabitats to escape heat, if needed. However, we conclude that lowland populations of woodland species may be more severely threatened by climate warming because of the unavailability of relatively colder microclimates.
Endogenous human stem cell-associated retroviruses
Authors: Glinsky Gennadi V.
Published: August 2015

Recent discoveries of endogenous human stem cell-associated retroviruses (SCARs) revealed consistent activation of specific endogenous retroviral elements in human preimplantation embryos and documented the essential role of the sustained retroviral activities in the maintenance of pluripotency, functional identity and integrity of naïve-state embryonic stem cells, and anti-viral resistance of the early-stage human embryos. SCARs activity have been implicated in seeding thousands’ human-specific regulatory sequences in the hESC genome. Activation of specific SCARs, namely LTR7/HERVH and LTR5_Hs/HERVK, has been demonstrated in patients diagnosed with multiple types of cancer, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders and it is likely associated with the emergence of clinically lethal therapy resistant death-from-cancer phenotypes in a sub-set of cancer patients diagnosed with different types of malignant tumors.
Life history effects on the molecular clock of autosomes and sex chromosomes
Authors: Amster Guy , Sella Guy
Published: August 2015

One of the foundational results of molecular evolution is that the rate at which neutral substitutions accumulate on a lineage equals the rate at which mutations arise. Traits that affect rates of mutation therefore also affect the phylogenetic “molecular clock”. We consider the effects of sex-specific generation times and mutation rates in species with two sexes. In particular, we focus on the effects that the age of onset of male puberty and rates of spermatogenesis have likely had in extant hominines (i.e., human, chimpanzee and gorilla), considering a model that approximates features of the mutational process in most mammals and birds and some other vertebrates. As we show, this model helps explain and reconcile a number of seemingly puzzling observations. In hominines, it can explain the puzzlingly low X-to-autosome ratios of substitution rates and how the ratios and rates of autosomal substitutions differ among lineages. Importantly, it suggests how to translate pedigree-based estimates of human mutation rates into split times among apes, given sex-specific life histories. In so doing, it helps bridge the gap between estimates of split times of apes based on fossil and molecular evidence. Finally, considering these effects can help to reconcile recent evidence that changes in generation times should have small effects on mutation rates in humans with classic studies suggesting that they have had major effects on rates of evolution in the mammalian phylogeny.
Ancienttrans-acting siRNAs Confer Robustness and Sensitivity onto the Auxin Response
Authors: Plavskin Yevgeniy , Nagashima Akitomo , Perroud Pierre-François , Hasebe Mitsuyasu , Quatrano Ralph S. , Atwal Gurinder S. , Timmermans Marja C.P.
Published: August 2015

Novel developmental programs often evolve via cooption of existing genetic networks. To understand this process, we explored cooption of theTAS3tasiRNA pathway in the mossPhyscomitrella patens. We find an ancestral function for this repeatedly redeployed pathway in the spatial regulation of a conserved set of Auxin Response Factors. In moss, this results in stochastic patterning of the filamentous protonemal tissue. Through modeling and experimentation, we demonstrate that tasiRNA regulation confers sensitivity and robustness onto the auxin response. Increased auxin sensitivity parallels increased developmental sensitivity to nitrogen, a key environmental signal. We propose that the properties lent to the auxin response network, along with the ability to stochastically modulate development in response to environmental cues, have contributed to the tasiRNA-ARF module’s repeated cooption during evolution. The signaling properties of a genetic network, and not just its developmental output, are thus critical to understanding the evolution of multicellular forms.
A conserved interaction between a C-terminal motif in Norovirus VPg and the HEAT-1 domain of eIF4G is essential for translation initiation
Authors: Leen Eoin N. , Sorgeloos Frédéric , Correia Samantha , Chaudhry Yasmin , Cannac Fabien , pastore Chiara , Xu Yingqi , Graham Stephen C. , Matthews Stephen J. , Goodfellow Ian G. , Curry Stephen
Published: August 2015

Translation initiation is a critical early step in the replication cycle of the positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome of noroviruses, a major cause of gastroenteritis in humans. Norovirus RNA, which has neither a 5′ m7G cap nor an internal ribosome entry site (IRES), adopts an unusual mechanism to initiate protein synthesis that relies on interactions between the VPg protein covalently attached to the 5′-end of the viral RNA and eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) in the host cell.

For murine norovirus (MNV) we previously showed that VPg binds to the middle fragment of eIF4G (4GM; residues 652-1132). Here we have used pull-down assays, fluorescence anisotropy, and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) to demonstrate that a stretch of ∼20 amino acids at the C terminus of MNV VPg mediates direct and specific binding to the HEAT-1 domain within the 4GM fragment of eIF4G. Our analysis further reveals that the MNV C-terminus binds to eIF4G HEAT-1 via a motif that is conserved in all known noroviruses. Fine mutagenic mapping suggests that the MNV VPg C terminus may interact with eIF4G in a helical conformation. NMR spectroscopy was used to define the VPg binding site on eIF4G HEAT-1, which was confirmed by mutagenesis and binding assays. We have found that this site is non-overlapping with the binding site for eIF4A on eIF4G HEAT-1 by demonstrating that norovirus VPg can form ternary VPg-eIF4G-eIF4A complexes. The functional significance of the VPg-eIF4G interaction was shown by the ability of fusion proteins containing the C-terminal peptide of MNV VPg to inhibit translation of norovirus RNA but not cap- or IRES-dependent translation. These observations define important structural details of a functional interaction between norovirus VPg and eIF4G and reveal a binding interface that might be exploited as a target for antiviral therapy.
Prediction of Primary Somatosensory Neuron Activity During Active Tactile Exploration
Authors: Campagner Dario , Evans Mathew , Bale Michael R. , Erskine Andrew , Petersen Rasmus S.
Published: August 2015

Primary sensory neurons form the interface between world and brain. Their function is well-understood during passive stimulation but, under natural behaving conditions, sense organs are under active, motor control. In an attempt to predict primary neuron firing under natural conditions of sensorimotor integration, we recorded from primary mechanosensory neuronsof awake, head-fixed mice as they explored a pole with their whiskers, and simultaneously measured both whisker motion and forces with high-speed videography. Using Generalised Linear Models, we found that primary neuron responses were poorly predicted by kinematics but well-predicted by rotational forces acting on the whisker: both during touch and free-air whisker motion. These results are discrepant with previous studies of passive stimulation, but could be reconciled by differences in the kinematics-force relationship between active and passive conditions. Thus, simple statistical models can predict rich neural activity elicited by natural, exploratory behaviour involving active movement of the sense organs.
Widespread somatic L1 retrotransposition occurs early during gastrointestinal cancer evolution
Authors: Ewing Adam D. , Gacita Anthony , Wood Laura D. , Ma Florence , Xing Dongmei , Kim Min-Sik , Manda Srikanth S. , Abril Gabriela , Pereira Gavin , Makohon-Moore Alvin , Looijenga Leendert H.J. , Gillis Ad J.M. , Hruban Ralph H. , Anders Robert A. , Romans Katharine E. , Pandey Akhilesh , Iacobuzio-Donahue Christine A. , Vogelstein Bert , Kinzler Kenneth W. , Kazazian Haig H. , Solyom Szilvia
Published: August 2015

Somatic L1 retrotransposition events have been shown to occur in epithelial cancers. Here, we attempted to determine how early somatic L1 insertions occurred during the development of gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Using L1-targeted resequencing (L1-seq), we studied different stages of four colorectal cancers arising from colonic polyps, seven pancreatic carcinomas, as well as seven gastric cancers. Surprisingly, we found somatic L1 insertions not only in all cancer types and metastases but also in colonic adenomas, well-known cancer precursors. Some insertions were also present in low quantities in normal GI tissues, occasionally caught in the act of being clonally fixed in the adjacent tumors. Insertions in adenomas and cancers numbered in the hundreds, and many were present in multiple tumor sections, implying clonal distribution. Our results demonstrate that extensive somatic insertional mutagenesis occurs very early during the development of GI tumors, probably before dysplastic growth.
Aminosilanes derived from 1H-benzimidazole-2(3H)-thione
Authors: Palomo-Molina Juliana , García-Báez Efrén V. , Contreras Rosalinda , Pineda-Urbina Kayim , Ramos-Organillo Angel
Published: August 2015

Two new molecular structures, namely 1,3-bis(trimethylsilyl)-1H-benzimidazole-2(3H)-thione, C13H22N2SSi2, (2), and 1-trimethylsilyl-1H-benzimidazole-2(3H)-thione, C10H14N2SSi, (3), are reported. Both systems were derived from 1H-benzimidazole-2(3H)-thione. Noncovalent C—H...π interactions between the centroid of the benzmidazole system and the SiMe3groups form helicoidal arrangements in (2). Dimerization of (3) results in the formation ofR22(8) ringsviaN—H...S interactions, along with parallel π–π interactions between imidazole and benzene rings.
Crystal structure of potassium sodium heptahydrogen hexamolybdocobaltate(III) octahydrate: an extra-protonatedB-series Anderson-type heteropolyoxidometalate
Authors: Park Ki-Min , Joo Hea-Chung , Lee Uk
Published: August 2015

The title compound, KNa[CoIII(OH)7{Mo6O17}]·8H2O, was obtained by the ion-exchange technique from K3[Co(μ3-OH)6Mo6O18]·7H2O. Six μ3-O atoms and one O atom of the bridging μ2-O atom are protonated. This novel polyanion protonated by an extra H atom is an unexpected polyanion species among theB-series Anderson-type polyoxidometalates (POMs), [Xn+(μ3-OH)6Mo6O18](6–n)–] (X= heteroatom). The extra H atom (seventh H atom) in the polyanion does not lie on a crystallographic centre of symmetry, but is located at the mid-point between two μ2-O atoms of adjacent polyanions, and forms a very short hydrogen bond [2.430 (5) Å]. The present structure is considered as particularly significant in understanding noncentrosymmetric strong hydrogen bonding.
Crystal structure of 2-aminopyridinium 6-chloronicotinate
Authors: Jasmine N. Jeeva , Rajam A. , Muthiah P. Thomas , Stanley N. , Razak I. Abdul , Rosli M. Mustaqim
Published: August 2015

In the title salt, C5H7N+·C6H3ClNO−, the 2-aminopyridinium cation interacts with the carboxylate group of the 6-chloronicotinate anion through a pair of independent N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming anR22(8) ring motif. In the crystal, these dimeric units are connected furtherviaN—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming chains along [001]. In addition, weak C—H...N and C—H...O hydrogen bonds, together with weak π–π interactions, with centroid–centroid distances of 3.6560 (5) and 3.6295 (5) Å, connect the chains, forming a two-dimensional network parallel to (100).
Borderline intellectual functioning and neurodevelopmental disorders: prevalence, comorbidities and treatment approaches
Authors: Hassiotis Angela
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to provide a synthesis of the literature on the topic of developmental framework and health comorbidities of children and adults with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Design/methodology/approach

– A rapid review of the literature and hand searching of relevant papers from 1999 to 2015 was carried out. Totally, 21 papers were identified covering a range of perspectives from neurodevelopmental trajectories to prevalence, treatment and service use.

Findings

– All papers were utilised and complemented a previous review which, however, had not covered the aspect of treatment approaches for this population. As a group they appear to have distinctly different profiles from people with mild intellectual disability and of peers with average intelligence.

Practical implications

– The evidence summary indicates an ongoing interest by the international scientific community in the topic of BIF. This group are often lost in the health system and may not receive appropriate care given their unique clinical profile. More should be done to increase clinicians’ awareness of their health needs.

Originality/value

– The paper adds substantially to a previous review of the topic. An international collaboration may help to increase the profile of this work and lead to further changes in the care these individuals receive across the diagnostic and treatment spectrum.
Diversity management through a neuro-scientific lens
Authors: Jeffrey Jackie
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Introduces the emerging evidence from the neurosciences and provides an account of how it is causing a learning and development practitioner to re-evaluate understanding of human diversity and therefore diversity management within organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

– Defines neuroplasticity and identifies four of the key findings before moving on to consider what this suggests about human diversity.

Findings

– Shows an application of this new knowledge to diversity management as a way of exploring how the concept of collective intelligence could lead to a transformation of this new knowledge into organizational development practices that meet the needs of all people.

Practical implications

– Advances the view that if organizations can find a way to connect people, places and ideas in a way that generates a deeper appreciation of the value proposition inherent in human diversity, the business case will make itself.

Social implications

– Recognizes the need for a collective intelligence that has the “potential to liberate us from the social and political hierarchies that have stood in the way of mankind’s advancement”.

Originality/value

– Claims that this new science of learning has the potential to create a revelation of personal constructs in a way that leads to a safe revolution in the way we view and appreciate each other.
On the damages detection in aluminium beam using Hilbert-Huang transformation
Authors: Nikolakopoulos Pantelis G. , Zavos Anastasios , Bompos Dimitrios A.
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– Continuous on-line monitoring of structural integrity are in priority in many engineering fields such as aerospace, automotive, civilian structures, and industrial applications. Of all these possible applications, the aerospace industry has one of the highest payoffs. Possible damage can lead to catastrophic failures and costly inspections. On the other hand, processing a signal consists of important feature from sensors measurements to reach the considered target. Typically, the sensors translate a physical phenomenon from one or many sources in temporal variations or in spatial variations. The purpose of this paper is to investigate damages, in terms of suddenly screw removal or in a small cut, detection in vibrating (clamped-free) aluminum beam structures using the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method along with the Hilbert-Huang transformation (HHT). The perspective is to identify very small defects in real aircraft structures.

Design/methodology/approach

– The proposed method deals with a new time-frequency signal processing analysis tool, for damages detection in a vibrating plate. An experimental test ring is used in order to excite a clamped-free aluminum plate. Two types of excitations are used. The first one is a harmonic excitation and the second one is a random excitation provided by an impact hammer. A hole and its filled by a screw with mass of 0.2 g, and a small cut is created, simulating a cut creation, are produced afterword, and the HHT is used in order to arise the developed oscillations, and to reveal hidden reflections in the data and to provide a high-resolution energy-time frequency spectrum.

Findings

– The major finding was the clear amplitude increment either for screw removal or for cut creation, using the EMD process with the HHT, giving the possibility to detect them.

Originality/value

– The use of the HHT to detect, using an experimental procedure, two different defects: a suddenly screw removal and a cut creation, in a clamped-free beam, excited by non-stationary and non-linear signals.
Numerical simulation of tensile behavior of corroded aluminum alloy 2024 T3
Authors: Setsika Dorothea , Tserpes Konstantinos , Pantelakis Spiros
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to develop a multi-scale modeling approach for simulating the tensile behavior of corroded aluminum alloy 2024 T3.

Design/methodology/approach

– The approach combines two FE models: a model of a three-dimensional representative unit cell representing a pit and a model of the tensile specimen. The models lie at the micro- and macro-scales, respectively. The local homogenized mechanical behavior of the corroded material is simulated for different pit configurations. Then, the behavior of the pits is introduced into different areas (elements) of the tensile specimen and final analyses are performed to simulate the mechanical behavior of the corroded material. The approach has been applied to six different exposure periods of the exfoliation corrosion test.

Findings

– The numerical results show that the presence of pits and exfoliated areas reduces the yield strength of the material. The comparison of predicted elongation to fracture with the experimental of each exposure period value allows for the indirect assessment of the effect of hydrogen embrittlement.

Originality/value

– Since the characteristics of corrosion damage evolution with exposure time are constant for the specific material, the model could be applied for the simulation of the mechanical behavior of any corroded structural part (e.g. a mechanically fastened panel) made from the aluminum 2024 T3 alloy.
Enterprise education with Chinese characteristics; policy, practices and uneven development in PRC
Authors: Anderson Alistair R. , Zhang Xiuxiang
Published: August 2015

Purpose

– The paper aims to review the emergence and nature of entrepreneurship education in China. This paper considers the variability of developments in practices despite policy. In turn, this allows one to consider the implications of this uneven distribution of expertise and resources.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper is primarily empirically descriptive, but it draws upon different literatures to examine entrepreneurship education in the uniqueness of its Chinese context. The authors offer two comparative cases to illustrate the arguments.

Findings

– Substantial differences were found by region and by the status of the institution. The region aspect is paradoxical because the largest number of new businesses exists in those regions with the best provision of enterprise education. The channelling of resources to elite resources compounds the problem. Less prestigious universities make do with what they have, and this may be detrimental for the quality and effectiveness of enterprise education.

Research limitations/implications

– There may be some regional differences that have been overlooked, but the thrust is clear. Different resource allocations have shaped entrepreneurship education in the regions.

Practical implications

– Applied policy may have detrimental effects on less well-endowed universities and thus neglect less entrepreneurial places.

Social implications

– If entrepreneurship is to deliver its promise of opportunity, innovation and job creation, it needs to be taught by experienced and informed faculty. The uneven distribution of entrepreneurship pedagogy and expertise indicates that this may be more difficult to deliver in some places.

Originality/value

– Although entrepreneurship education in China is now pervasive, little work has been done in comparing policies with practices.
EDITOR'S CHOICE: Enhancing gardens as habitats for flower‐visiting aerial insects (pollinators): should we plant native or exotic species?
Authors: Salisbury Andrew , Armitage James , Bostock Helen , Perry Joe , Tatchell Mark , Thompson Ken
Published: August 2015

Domestic gardens typically consist of a mixture of native and non‐native plants which support biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services, particularly in urban environments. Many gardeners wish to encourage biodiversity by choosing appropriate plant taxa. The value of native and non‐native plants in supporting animal biodiversity is, however, largely unknown.

The relative value of native and non‐native garden plants to invertebrates was investigated in a replicated field experiment. Plots (deliberately akin to garden borders) were planted with one of three treatments, representing assemblages of plants based on origin (native, near‐native and exotic). Invertebrates and resource measurements were recorded over four years. This paper reports the abundance of flower‐visiting aerial insects (‘pollinators’) associated with the three plant assemblages.

For all pollinator groups on all treatments, greater floral resource resulted in an increase in visits. There was, however, a greater abundance of total pollinators recorded on native and near‐native treatments compared with the exotic plots. Short‐tongued bumblebees followed the same pattern whilst more hoverflies were recorded on the native treatment than the other treatments, and more honeybees on the near‐native treatment. There was no difference between treatments in abundance of long‐tongued bumblebees or solitary bees. The lack of difference in solitary bee abundance between treatments was probably due to a third of individuals from this group being recorded on one exotic plant species.

The number of flower visitors corresponded to the peak flowering period of the treatments, that is there were fewer flower visitors to the exotic treatment compared with the other treatments in early summer but relatively more later in the season.

Synthesis and applications. This experiment has demonstrated that utilizing plants from only a single region of origin (i.e. nativeness) may not be an optimal strategy for resource provision for pollinating insects in gardens. Gardens can be enhanced as a habitat by planting a variety of flowering plants, biased towards native and near‐native species but with a selection of exotics to extend the flowering season and potentially provide resources for specialist groups.
Deep transcriptome profiling of clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates reveals strain and sequence type‐specific adaptation
Authors: Bruchmann Sebastian , Muthukumarasamy Uthayakumar , Pohl Sarah , Preusse Matthias , Bielecka Agata , Nicolai Tanja , Hamann Isabell , Hillert Roger , Kola Axel , Gastmeier Petra , Eckweiler Denitsa , Häussler Susanne
Published: August 2015

Health‐care‐associated infections by multi‐drug‐resistant bacteria constitute one of the greatest challenges to modern medicine. Bacterial pathogens devise various mechanisms to withstand the activity of a wide range of antimicrobial compounds, among which the acquisition of carbapenemases is one of the most concerning. In Klebsiella pneumoniae, the dissemination of the K. pneumoniae carbapenemase is tightly connected to the global spread of certain clonal lineages. Although antibiotic resistance is a key driver for the global distribution of epidemic high‐risk clones, there seem to be other adaptive traits that may explain their success. Here, we exploited the power of deep transcriptome profiling (RNA‐seq) to shed light on the transcriptomic landscape of 37 clinical K. pneumoniae isolates of diverse phylogenetic origins. We identified a large set of 3346 genes which was expressed in all isolates. While the core‐transcriptome profiles varied substantially between groups of different sequence types, they were more homogenous among isolates of the same sequence type. We furthermore linked the detailed information on differentially expressed genes with the clinically relevant phenotypes of biofilm formation and bacterial virulence. This allowed for the identification of a diminished expression of biofilm‐specific genes within the low biofilm producing ST258 isolates as a sequence type‐specific trait.
Temporal and spatial influences incur reconfiguration of Arctic heathland soil bacterial community structure
Authors: Hill Richard , Saetnan Eli R. , Scullion John , Gwynn‐Jones Dylan , Ostle Nick , Edwards Arwyn
Published: August 2015

Microbial responses to Arctic climate change could radically alter the stability of major stores of soil carbon. However, the sensitivity of plot‐scale experiments simulating climate change effects on Arctic heathland soils to potential confounding effects of spatial and temporal changes in soil microbial communities is unknown. Here, the variation in heathland soil bacterial communities at two survey sites in Sweden between spring and summer 2013 and at scales between 0–1 m and, 1–100 m and between sites (> 100 m) were investigated in parallel using 16S rRNA gene T‐RFLP and amplicon sequencing. T‐RFLP did not reveal spatial structuring of communities at scales < 100 m in any site or season. However, temporal changes were striking. Amplicon sequencing corroborated shifts from r‐ to K‐selected taxon‐dominated communities, influencing in silico predictions of functional potential. Network analyses reveal temporal keystone taxa, with a spring betaproteobacterial sub‐network centred upon a Burkholderia operational taxonomic unit (OTU) and a reconfiguration to a summer sub‐network centred upon an alphaproteobacterial OTU. Although spatial structuring effects may not confound comparison between plot‐scale treatments, temporal change is a significant influence. Moreover, the prominence of two temporally exclusive keystone taxa suggests that the stability of Arctic heathland soil bacterial communities could be disproportionally influenced by seasonal perturbations affecting individual taxa.
Control of Hypertension In Pregnancy Study randomised controlled trial—are the results dependent on the choice of labetalol or methyldopa?
Authors: Magee LA ,   the CHIPS Study Group, von Dadelszen P , Singer J , Lee T , Rey E , Ross S , Asztalos E , Murphy KE , Menzies J , Sanchez J , Gafni A , Gruslin A , Helewa M , Hutton E , Koren G , Lee SK , Logan AG , Ganzevoort JW , Welch R , Thornton JG , Moutquin J‐M
Published: August 2015

Objective

To determine whether the difference in outcomes between ‘less tight’ (target diastolic blood pressure [dBP] of 100 mmHg) versus ‘tight’ control (target dBP of 85 mmHg) in the CHIPS Trial (ISRCTN 71416914, http://pre-empt.cfri.ca/;CHIPS) depended on the choice of labetalol or methyldopa, the two most commonly used antihypertensive agents in CHIPS.

Design

Secondary analysis of CHIPS Trial data.

Setting

International multicentre randomised controlled trial (94 sites, 15 countries).

Population or sample

A total of 987 women with non‐severe non‐proteinuric pregnancy hypertension.

Methods

Logistic regression was used for comparisons of ‘less tight’ versus ‘tight’ control among women treated with labetalol (but not methydopa) versus methyldopa (but not labetalol). Analyses were adjusted for the influence of baseline factors, including use of any antihypertensive therapy at randomisation.

Main outcome measures

Main CHIPS Trial outcomes: primary (perinatal loss or high‐level neonatal care for > 48 hours), secondary (serious maternal complications), birthweight < 10th centile, severe maternal hypertension, pre‐eclampsia, and delivery at < 34 or < 37 weeks.

Results

Of 987 women in CHIPS, antihypertensive therapy was taken by 566 women at randomisation (labetalol 111 [‘less tight’] versus 127 [‘tight’] or methyldopa 126 [‘less tight’] versus 117 [‘tight’]) and 815 women after randomisation (labetalol 186 [‘less tight’] versus 247 [‘tight’] and methyldopa by 98 [‘less tight’] versus 126 [‘tight’]). Following adjustment, odds ratios for outcomes in ‘less tight’ versus ‘tight’ control were similar between antihypertensive groups according to ‘at randomisation’ and ‘after randomisation’ therapy.

Conclusion

Outcomes for ‘less tight’ versus ‘tight’ control were not dependent on use of methyldopa or labetalol.

Tweetable abstract

In the CHIPS Trial, maternal and infant outcomes were not dependent on use of labetalol or methyldopa.
Survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy versus neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for resectable esophageal carcinoma: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Fan Mengying , Lin Yao , Pan Jianhong , Yan Wanpu , Dai Liang , Shen Luyan , Chen Keneng
Published: August 2015

Background

The efficacy of surgery alone for patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer (EC) is still unsatisfactory. Presently, induction therapy followed by surgery is the standard treatment. Preoperative chemotherapy (CT) and chemoradiation (CRT) are proven effective induction therapies; however, few sample studies have addressed these treatments, thus, their superiority remains uncertain. We performed a systemic review and meta analysis to test the hypothesis that induction CRT prior to surgery could improve survival compared with induction CT alone.

Methods

A comprehensive search of PubMed and the Ovid database for relevant studies comparing EC patients undergoing resection after treatment with induction CT alone or induction CRT was conducted. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were extracted from these studies to provide pooled estimates of the effect of induction therapy on overall survival.

Results

Five studies met the criteria for analysis. Statistical analysis demonstrated a survival benefit of induction CRT compared with induction CT alone (HR0.73, 95% CI 0.61–0.89; P = 0.002). Further analysis showed that induction CRT perioperative mortality and complication rates were higher than for induction CT alone (HR 2.96, 95% CI 1.38–6.37; HR1.6, 95% CI 1.30–1.98; P = 0.01, respectively).

Conclusions

Published evidence comparing the different efficacies of induction CT and induction CRT is sparse, with few samples of adenocarcinoma. This analysis supports the view that, compared with induction CT, induction CRT could achieve a long‐term survival benefit in EC patients.
A prospective study of the use of the Myosure resectoscope to manage endometrial polyps in an outpatient setting
Authors: McIlwaine Patrick , McElhinney Bernadette , Karthigasu Krishnan Andrew , Hart Roger
Published: August 2015

Background

The Myosure resectoscope has been in use since 2009. Our unit is the first in Australia to describe the use of the Myosure device in the outpatient setting to resect endometrial polyps.

Aim

To compare patient satisfaction and pain scores of pre‐ and postmenopausal women undergoing outpatient removal of endometrial polyps using the Myosure device.

Material and Methods

Public hospital based prospective study. Patients (n=42) who opted to have resection of endometrial polyps under local anaethesia were recruited. Procedures were performed using a 6.25‐mm hysteroscope with a MyoSure Lite device. Patient experiences were collected using a questionnaire immediately postprocedure. Pain level was assessed using 100‐mm visual analogue score (VAS). Resection times and untoward events were recorded.

Results

Mean endometrial polyp size was 13 mm and the mean resection time was 39.4s. Complete resection was achieved in 95.2% of cases. The median VAS was 2.7 (range 0.7–7.5). The pain scores did not differ significantly between nulliparous or parous women who only had a caesarean section delivery and those who have delivered vaginally. However, VAS was statistically less in postmenopausal women in comparison with premenopausal women (2.5 vs 3.2, respectively; (P = 0.047)). Overall, women were very satisfied; 97.6% would recommend the procedure to a friend and 95.2% happy to consider a repeat procedure in the future if required. The complication rate was 4.8%, and all were minor in nature.

Conclusion

Operative hysteroscopic procedures can be performed successfully in the outpatient setting using the Myosure Lite device with a high level of patient satisfaction.
Review article: biomarkers and personalised therapy in functional lower gastrointestinal disorders
Authors: Camilleri M.
Published: August 2015

Background

Treatment of IBS and functional lower gastrointestinal disorders is still based predominantly on symptoms; biomarkers that reflect the mechanism or pathophysiology have been identified. Given the diverse mechanisms that result in the same clinical phenotype of IBS, it is hypothesised that identification of biomarkers may lead to individualisation of medical therapy.

Aim

To review the biomarkers that have been appraised in IBS.

Methods

A single author reviewed the published literature on biomarkers appraised in IBS.

Results

The current literature suggests that these biomarkers are insufficiently sensitive or specific to differentiate IBS from health or from other diseases causing similar symptoms, such as coeliac disease or inflammatory bowel disease. Most of the proposed biomarkers are not actionable, that is, they do not lead to an efficacious therapy based on the biological inference of the biomarker itself. However, among proposed biomarkers in IBS, some are actionable, as they specifically reflect a quantitative difference in a mediator of dysfunction or result in a quantifiable disturbance of function that can be specifically treated. Such biomarkers may potentially identify relevant subgroups that respond to specific therapy. The most promising actionable biomarkers are measurement of colonic transit (leading to treatments that reverse the abnormal transit) and measurements of bile acid diarrhoea to identify responders to bile acid sequestrants.

Conclusions

Therefore, although biomarkers are not ready for prime time as diagnostic tests in IBS, some biomarkers could identify subgroups of patients with IBS for inclusion in clinical trials that target specific dysfunctions. Such an approach may enhance treatment efficacy, and may ultimately help reduce costs in drug development and in the management of patients in clinical practice.
Effects of pre‐slaughter showering and ventilation on stress, meat quality and metabolite concentrations of broilers in summer
Authors: Jiang Nannan , Xing Tong , Xu Xinglian
Published: August 2015

Effects of pre‐slaughter showering and ventilation on stress, meat quality and energy metabolism of broilers in summer were investigated. After transport, 84 Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into four treatment groups: (i) control group without ventilation and showering (C); (ii) 10 min ventilation without showering (VWS); (iii) 10 min showering without ventilation (SWV); (iv) 5 min showering and then 5 min ventilation (SV). Compared with the control group, plasma lactate dehydrogenase and creatine kinase activities in the other three treatment groups were (P < 0.05) lower; however, the plasma glucose level did not show any significant changes among all the groups. The breast meat in the SV group had significantly (P < 0.05) higher pHu, glycogen content, lower L*, ΔpH, drip loss, cook loss, R‐value and lactate content than the control group; however, there was no significant difference in shear force values among all the groups. In conclusion, this study indicated broilers in the SV group showed a lower stress level and greater meat quality, which suggest that showering and ventilation after transportation may be a good measure to relieve stress caused by transport under high temperature and improve the meat quality of broilers.
Effects of exposure to artificial long days on milk yield, maternal insulin‐like growth factor 1 levels and kid growth rate in subtropical goats
Authors: Hernández Horacio , Flores José Alfredo , Delgadillo José Alberto , Fernández Ilda G. , Flores Manuel de Jesús , Mejía Ángel , Elizundia José Manuel , Bedos Marie , Ponce José Luis , Ramírez Sergio
Published: August 2015

This study was designed to determine whether any relationship exists between exposure to artificial long days, milk yield, maternal plasma insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) levels, and kid growth rate in goats. One group of lactating goats was maintained under naturally decreasing day length (control group; n = 19), while in another one, they were kept under artificial long days (LD group; n = 19). Milk yield was higher in goats from the LD group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Maternal IGF‐1 levels at day 57 of lactation were higher (P < 0.05) in goats from the LD group than the levels in the control group and were positively correlated with the total milk yields per goat at days 43 and 57 of lactation (r = 0.77 and r = 0.84, respectively; P < 0.01). Daily weight gain at week 4 was higher (P < 0.01) in kids from the LD group than that in kids from the control group and was correlated with total and average IGF‐1 maternal levels (r = 0.60 and r = 0.60, P < 0.05). It was concluded that submitting lactating goats to artificial long days increases milk yield, plasma IGF‐1 maternal levels and the growth rate of the kids.
Higher Prevalence of TDP‐43 Proteinopathy in Cognitively Normal Asians: A Clinicopathological Study on a Multiethnic Sample
Authors: Nascimento Camila , Suemoto Claudia K. , Rodriguez Roberta D. , Alho Ana Tereza Di Lorenzo , Leite Renata P. , Farfel Jose Marcelo , Pasqualucci Carlos Augusto Gonçalves , Jacob‐Filho Wilson , Grinberg Lea T.
Published: August 2015

Transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP‐43) proteinopathy is the major hallmark of frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It is also present in a subset of Alzheimer's disease cases. Recently, few reports showed TDP‐43 changes in cognitively normal elderly. In Caucasians, TDP‐43 proteinopathy independently correlate with cognitive decline. However, it is challenging to establish direct links between cognitive and/or neuropsychiatric symptoms and protein inclusions in neurodegenerative diseases because individual cognitive reserves modify the threshold for clinical disease expression. Cognitive reserve is influenced by demographic, environmental and genetic factors. We investigated the relationships between demographic, clinical and neuropathological variables and TDP‐43 proteinopathy in a large multiethnic sample of cognitively normal elderly. TDP‐43 proteinopathy was identified in 10.5%, independently associated with older age (P = 0.03) and Asian ethnicity (P = 0.002). Asians showed a higher prevalence of TDP‐43 proteinopathy than Caucasians, even after adjustment for sex, age, Braak stage and schooling (odds ratio = 3.50, confidence interval 1.41–8.69, P = 0.007). These findings suggested that Asian older adults may be protected from the clinical manifestation of brain TDP‐43 proteinopathy. Future studies are needed to identify possible race‐related protective factors against clinical expression of TDP‐43 proteinopathies.
Hold your pauses: external globus pallidus neurons respond to behavioural events by decreasing pause activity
Authors: Noblejas Maria Imelda , Schechtman Eitan , Adler Avital , Joshua Mati , Katabi Shiran , Bergman Hagai
Published: August 2015

Awareness of its rich structural pathways has earned the external segment of the globus pallidus (GPe) recognition as a central figure within the basal ganglia circuitry. Interestingly, GPe neurons are uniquely identified by the presence of prominent pauses interspersed among a high‐frequency discharge rate of 50–80 spikes/s. These pauses have an average pause duration of 620 ms with a frequency of 13/min, yielding an average pause activity (probability of a GPe neuron being in a pause) of (620 × 13)/(60 × 1000) = 0.13. Spontaneous pause activity has been found to be inversely related to arousal state. The relationship of pause activity with behavioural events remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we analysed the electrophysiological activity of 200 well‐isolated GPe pauser cells recorded from four non‐human primates (Macaque fascicularis) while they were engaged in similar classical conditioning tasks. The isolation quality of the recorded activity and the pauses were determined with objective automatic methods. The results showed that the pause probability decreased by 9.09 and 10.0%, and the discharge rate increased by 2.96 and 1.95%, around cue and outcome presentation, respectively. Analysis of the linear relationship between the changes in pause activity and discharge rate showed r2 = 0.46 and r2 = 0.66 upon cue onset and outcome presentation, respectively. Thus, pause activity is a pertinent element in short‐term encoding of relevant behavioural events, and has a significant, but not exclusive, role in the modulation of GPe discharge rate around these events.
Frontiers in research on biodiversity and disease
Authors: Johnson Pieter T. J. , Ostfeld Richard S. , Keesing Felicia
Published: August 2015

Global losses of biodiversity have galvanised efforts to understand how changes to communities affect ecological processes, including transmission of infectious pathogens. Here, we review recent research on diversity–disease relationships and identify future priorities. Growing evidence from experimental, observational and modelling studies indicates that biodiversity changes alter infection for a range of pathogens and through diverse mechanisms. Drawing upon lessons from the community ecology of free‐living organisms, we illustrate how recent advances from biodiversity research generally can provide necessary theoretical foundations, inform experimental designs, and guide future research at the interface between infectious disease risk and changing ecological communities. Dilution effects are expected when ecological communities are nested and interactions between the pathogen and the most competent host group(s) persist or increase as biodiversity declines. To move beyond polarising debates about the generality of diversity effects and develop a predictive framework, we emphasise the need to identify how the effects of diversity vary with temporal and spatial scale, to explore how realistic patterns of community assembly affect transmission, and to use experimental studies to consider mechanisms beyond simple changes in host richness, including shifts in trophic structure, functional diversity and symbiont composition.