bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hearables: feasibility of recording cardiac rhythms from head and in-ear locations
Authors: von Rosenberg Wilhelm , Chanwimalueang Theerasak , Goverdovsky Valentin , Peters Nicholas S. , Papavassiliou Christos , Mandic Danilo P.
Published: November 2017

Mobile technologies for the recording of vital signs and neural signals are envisaged to underpin the operation of future health services. For practical purposes, unobtrusive devices are favoured, such as those embedded in a helmet or incorporated onto an earplug. However, these locations have so far been underexplored, as the comparably narrow neck impedes the propagation of vital signals from the torso to the head surface. To establish the principles behind electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings from head and ear locations, we first introduce a realistic three-dimensional biophysics model for the propagation of cardiac electric potentials to the head surface, which demonstrates the feasibility of head-ECG recordings. Next, the proposed biophysics propagation model is verified over comprehensive real-world experiments based on head- and in-ear-ECG measurements. It is shown both that the proposed model is an excellent match for the recordings, and that the quality of head- and ear-ECG is sufficient for a reliable identification of the timing and shape of the characteristic P-, Q-, R-, S- and T-waves within the cardiac cycle. This opens up a range of new possibilities in the identification and management of heart conditions, such as myocardial infarction and atrial fibrillation, based on 24/7 continuous in-ear measurements. The study therefore paves the way for the incorporation of the cardiac modality into future ‘hearables’, unobtrusive devices for health monitoring.
Sound attenuation in the ear of domestic chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) as a result of beak opening
Authors: Muyshondt Pieter G. G. , Claes Raf , Aerts Peter , Dirckx Joris J. J.
Published: November 2017

Because the quadrate and the eardrum are connected, the hypothesis was tested that birds attenuate the transmission of sound through their ears by opening the bill, which potentially serves as an additional protective mechanism for self-generated vocalizations. In domestic chickens, it was examined if a difference exists between hens and roosters, given the difference in vocalization capacity between the sexes. To test the hypothesis, vibrations of the columellar footplate were measuredex vivowith laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) for closed and maximally opened beak conditions, with sounds introduced at the ear canal. The average attenuation was 3.5 dB in roosters and only 0.5 dB in hens. To demonstrate the importance of a putative protective mechanism, audio recordings were performed of a crowing rooster. Sound pressures levels of 133.5 dB were recorded near the ears. The frequency content of the vocalizations was in accordance with the range of highest hearing sensitivity in chickens. The results indicate a small but significant difference in sound attenuation between hens and roosters. However, the amount of attenuation as measured in the experiments on both hens and roosters is small and will provide little effective protection in addition to other mechanisms such as stapedius muscle activity.
Lagrangian averaging with geodesic mean
Authors: Oliver Marcel
Published: November 2017

This paper revisits the derivation of the Lagrangian averaged Euler (LAE), or Euler-
α
equations in the light of an intrinsic definition of the averaged flow map as the geodesic mean on the volume-preserving diffeomorphism group. Under the additional assumption that first-order fluctuations are statistically isotropic and transported by the mean flow as a vector field, averaging of the kinetic energy Lagrangian of an ideal fluid yields the LAE Lagrangian. The derivation presented here assumes a Euclidean spatial domain without boundaries.
Global reef fish richness gradients emerge from divergent and scale-dependent component changes
Authors: Blowes Shane A. , Belmaker Jonathan , Chase Jonathan M.
Published: November 2017

Biodiversity varies from place to place due to environmental and historical factors. To improve our understanding of how history and the environment influence observed patterns, we need to address the limitations of the most commonly used biodiversity metric, species richness. Here, we show that scale-dependent dissections of species richness into components of total abundance, species relative abundances and spatial aggregations of species reveal that two well-known biogeographic reef fish species richness gradients emerge from very different underlying component patterns. Latitudinal richness is underpinned by scale-independent patterns of total and relative abundances, suggesting ecological constraints scale up to determine abundances within communities. In contrast, the longitudinal gradient of species richness typically attributed to historical biogeography only emerges at the largest scale and is accompanied by a similar pattern of relative abundances, suggesting that site-to-site compositional variation leading to species aggregation (i.e. a component of β-diversity) underlies this gradient. Examining relationships among the components that underpin biodiversity gradients reveals new patterns that can better identify processes influencing patterns of biodiversity.
Long necks enhance and constrain foraging capacity in aquatic vertebrates
Authors: Wilson Rory P. , Gómez-Laich Agustina , Sala Juan-Emilio , Dell'Omo Giacomo , Holton Mark D. , Quintana Flavio
Published: November 2017

Highly specialized diving birds display substantial dichotomy in neck length with, for example, cormorants and anhingas having extreme necks, while penguins and auks have minimized necks. We attached acceleration loggers to Imperial cormorantsPhalacrocorax atricepsand Magellanic penguinsSpheniscus magellanicus, both foraging in waters over the Patagonian Shelf, to examine the difference in movement between their respective heads and bodies in an attempt to explain this dichotomy. The penguins had head and body attitudes and movements that broadly concurred throughout all phases of their dives. By contrast, although the cormorants followed this pattern during the descent and ascent phases of dives, during the bottom (foraging) phase of the dive, the head angle differed widely from that of the body and its dynamism (measured using vectorial dynamic acceleration) was over four times greater. A simple model indicated that having the head on an extended neck would allow these cormorants to half the energy expenditure that they would expend if their body moved in the way their heads did. This apparently energy-saving solution is likely to lead to greater heat loss though and would seem tenable in slow-swimming species because the loss of streamlining that it engenders would make it detrimental for fast-swimming taxa such as penguins.
Whole-transcriptome causal network inference with genomic and transcriptomic data
Authors: Wang Lingfei , Michoel Tom
Published: November 2017

Reconstruction of causal gene networks can distinguish regulators from targets and reduce false positives by integrating genetic variations. Its recent developments in speed and accuracy have enabled whole-transcriptome causal network inference on a personal computer. Here we demonstrate this technique with program Findr on 3,000 genes from the Geuvadis dataset. Subsequent analysis reveals major hub genes in the reconstructed network.
Estimating heritability without environmental bias
Authors: Young Alexander I. , Frigge Michael L. , Gudbjartsson Daniel F. , Thorleifsson Gudmar , Bjornsdottir Gyda , Sulem Patrick , Masson Gisli , Thorsteinsdottir Unnur , Stefansson Kari , Kong Augustine
Published: November 2017

Heritability measures the proportion of trait variation that is due to genetic inheritance. Measurement of heritability is of importance to the nature-versus-nurture debate. However, existing estimates of heritability could be biased by environmental effects. Here we introduce relatedness disequilibrium regression (RDR), a novel method for estimating heritability. RDR removes environmental bias by exploiting variation in relatedness due to random segregation. We use a sample of 54,888 Icelanders with both parents genotyped to estimate the heritability of 14 traits, including height (55.4%, S.E. 4.4%) and educational attainment (17.0%, S.E. 9.4%). Our results suggest that some other estimates of heritability could be inflated by environmental effects.
On the emergence of structural complexity in RNA replicators
Authors: Oliver Carlos G. , Reinharz Vladimir , Waldispühl Jérôme
Published: November 2017

The RNA world hypothesis relies on the ability of ribonucleic acids to spontaneously acquire complex structures capable of supporting essential biological functions. Multiple sophisticated evolutionary models have been proposed for their emergence, but they often assume specific conditions. In this work we explore a simple and parsimonious scenario describing the emergence of complex molecular structures at the early stages of life. We show that at specific GC-content regimes, an undirected replication model is sufficient to explain the apparition of multi-branched RNA secondary structures – a structural signature of many essential ribozymes. We ran a large scale computational study to map energetically stable structures on complete mutational networks of 50-nucleotide-long RNA sequences. Our results reveal that the sequence landscape with stable structures is enriched with multi-branched structures at a length scale coinciding with the appearance of complex structures in RNA databases. A random replication mechanism preserving a 50% GC-content may suffice to explain a natural enrichment of stable complex structures in populations of functional RNAs. By contrast, an evolutionary mechanism eliciting the most stable folds at each generation appears to help reaching multi-branched structures at highest GC content.
The function of the prereplicative complex and SCF complex components during Drosophila wing development
Authors: Kohzaki Hidetsugu
Published: November 2017

Chromosomal DNA replication machinery functions in the growing cells and organs in multicellular organisms. We previously demonstrated that its knockdown in several tissues of Drosophila led to a rough eye phenotype, the loss of bristles in the eye and female sterile. In this paper, we investigated in detail the wing phenotype using RNAi flies, and observed that the knockdown not only of Mcm10 but also of some other prereplicative complex components demonstrated wing phenotypes, using Gal4-driver flies. Surprisingly, some SCF complex components, which control cell cycle progression via protein degradation, also showed the wing phenotype. These results showed that the DNA replication machinery contributes to wing development independent of growth, probably through defects in DNA replication and protein degradation at specific places and times.

Summary statement

We recently outlined the prereplicative complex components, including Mcm10 and SCF complex functions, during Drosophila wing development. In this paper, we detail these findings.
Genetic risk for neurodegenerative disorders, and its overlap with cognitive ability and physical function
Authors: Hagenaars Saskia P. , Radakovic Ratko , Crockford Christopher , Fawns-Ritchie Chloe ,   International FTD-Genomics Consortium (IFGC), Harris Sarah E. , Gale Catharine R. , Deary Ian J.
Published: November 2017

INTRODUCTION

It is unclear whether polygenic risk for neurodegenerative disease is associated with cognitive performance and physical health.

METHODS

This study tested whether polygenic scores for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are associated with cognitive performance and physical health. Group-based analyses were performed to compare associations with cognitive and physical function outcomes in the top and bottom 10% for the three neurodegenerative polygenic risk scores.

RESULTS

Higher polygenic risk scores for AD, ALS, and FTD were associated with lower cognitive performance. Higher polygenic risk scores for FTD was also associated with increased forced expiratory volume in 1s and peak expiratory flow. A significant group difference was observed on the symbol digit substitution task between individuals with high polygenic risk for FTD and high polygenic risk for ALS.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest overlap between polygenic risk for neurodegenerative disorders, cognitive function and physical health.
Independent assessment and improvement of wheat genome assemblies using Fosill jumping libraries
Authors: Lu Fu-Hao , McKenzie Neil , Kettleborough George , Heavens Darren , Clark Matthew D. , Bevan Michael W.
Published: November 2017

Background

The accurate sequencing and assembly of very large, often polyploid, genomes remain a challenging task, limiting long range sequence information and phased sequence variation for applications such as plant breeding. The 15 Gb hexaploid bread wheat genome has been particularly challenging to sequence, and several contending approaches recently generated accurate long range assemblies. Understanding errors in these assemblies is important for optimising future sequencing and assembly approaches and for comparative genomics.

Results

Here we use a Fosill 38 Kb jumping library to assess medium and longer range order of different publicly available wheat genome assemblies. Modifications to the Fosill protocol generated longer Illumina sequences and enabled comprehensive genome coverage. Analyses of two independent BAC based chromosome-scale assemblies, two independent Illumina whole genome shotgun assemblies, and a hybrid long read (PacBio) and short read (Illumina) assembly were carried out. We revealed a variety of discrepancies using Fosill mate-pair mapping and validated several of each class. In addition, Fosill mate-pairs were used to scaffold a whole genome Illumina assembly, leading to a three-fold increase in N50 values.

Conclusions

Our analyses, using an independent means to validate different wheat genome assemblies, show that whole genome shotgun assemblies are significantly more accurate by all measures compared to BAC-based chromosome scale assemblies. Although current whole genome assemblies are reasonably accurate and useful, additional steps will be needed for the rapid, cost effective and complete sequencing and assembly of wheat genomes.
An epithelial-mesenchymal-amoeboid transition gene signature reveals subtypes of breast cancer progression and metastasis
Authors: Emad Amin , Ray Tania , Jensen Tor W. , Parat Meera , Natrajan Rachael , Sinha Saurabh , Ray Partha S.
Published: November 2017

Cancer cells within a tumor are known to display varying degrees of metastatic propensity but the molecular basis underlying such heterogeneity remains unclear. We analyzed genome-wide gene expression data obtained from primary tumors of lymph node-negative breast cancer patients using a novel metastasis biology-based Epithelial-Mesenchymal-Amoeboid Transition (EMAT) gene signature, and identified subtypes associated with distinct prognostic profiles. EMAT subtype status improved prognosis accuracy of clinical parameters and statistically outperformed traditional breast cancer intrinsic subtypes even after adjusting for treatment variables. Additionally, analysis of 3D spheroids from an in vitro isogenic model of breast cancer progression reveals that EMAT subtypes display progression from premalignant to malignant and pre-invasive to invasive cancer. EMAT classification is a biologically informed method to assess metastasis risk in early stage, lymph node-negative breast cancer patients.
A Bayesian approach to mediation analysis predicts 206 causal target genes in Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Park Yongjin , Sarkar Abhishek K , He Liang , Davila-Velderrain Jose , De Jager Philip L , Kellis Manolis
Published: November 2017

Characterizing the intermediate phenotypes, such as gene expression, that mediate genetic effects on complex diseases is a fundamental problem in human genetics. Existing methods utilize genotypic data and summary statistics to identify putative disease genes, but cannot distinguish pleiotropy from causal mediation and are limited by overly strong assumptions about the data. To overcome these limitations, we develop Causal Multivariate Mediation within Extended Linkage disequilibrium (CaMMEL), a novel Bayesian inference framework to jointly model multiple mediated and unmediated effects relying only on summary statistics. We show in simulation that CaMMEL accurately distinguishes between mediating and pleiotropic genes unlike existing methods. We applied CaMMEL to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and found 206 causal genes in sub-threshold loci (p < 10−4). We prioritized 21 genes which mediate at least 5% of local genetic variance, disrupting innate immune pathways in AD.
Male age is associated with extra-pair paternity, but not with extra-pair mating behaviour
Authors: Girndt Antje , Chng Charlotte Wen Ting , Burke Terry , Schroeder Julia
Published: November 2017

Extra-pair paternity is the result of copulation between a female and a male other than her social partner. In socially monogamous birds, old males are most likely to sire extra-pair offspring. The male manipulation and female choice hypotheses predict that age-specific male mating behaviour could explain this old-over-young male advantage. These hypotheses have been difficult to test because copulations and the individuals involved are hard to observe. Here, we studied the mating behaviour and pairing contexts of captive house sparrows,Passer domesticus. Our set-up mimicked the complex social environment experienced by wild house sparrows. We found that middle-aged males, that would be considered old in natural populations, gained most extra-pair paternity. However, both female solicitation behaviour and subsequent extra-pair matings were unrelated to male age. Further, copulations were more likely when solicited by females than those initiated by males (i.e. unsolicited copulations), and unsolicited within-pair copulations were more common than unsolicited extrapair copulations. To conclude, our results did not support either hypotheses regarding age-specific male mating behaviour. Instead, female choice, independent of male age, governed copulation success, especially in an extra-pair context and post-copulatory mechanisms might determine why older males sire more extra-pair offspring.
Smg5is required for multiple nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathways inDrosophila
Authors: Nelson Jonathan O. , Förster Dominique , Frizzell Kimberly A. , Luschnig Stefan , Metzstein Mark M.
Published: November 2017

The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway is a cellular quality control and post-transcriptional gene regulatory mechanism and is essential for viability in most multicellular organisms. A complex of proteins has been identified to be required for NMD function to occur, however the individual contribution of each of these factors to the NMD process is not well understood. Central to the NMD process are two proteins Upf1 (SMG-2) and Upf2 (SMG-3), which are found in all eukaryotes and are absolutely required for NMD in all organisms in which it has been examined. The other known NMD factors, Smg1, Smg5, Smg6, and Smg7 are more variable in their presence in different orders of organisms, and are thought to have a more regulatory role. Here we present the first genetic analysis of the NMD factorSmg5inDrosophila. Surprisingly, we find that unlike the other analyzedSmggenes in this organism,Smg5is essential for NMD activity. We found this is due at least in part to a role for Smg5 in the activity of two separable NMD-target decay mechanisms: endonucleolytic cleavage and 5′-to-3′ exonucleolytic decay. Redundancy between these degradation pathways explains why someDrosophilaNMD genes are not required for all NMD-pathway activity. We also found that while the NMD componentSmg1has only a minimal role inDrosophilaNMD during normal conditions, it becomes essential when NMD activity is compromised by partial loss ofSmg5function. Our findings suggest that not all NMD complex components are required for NMD function at all times, but instead are utilized in a context dependent mannerin vivo.
Whole-cell scale dynamic organization of lysosomes revealed by spatial statistical analysis
Authors: Ba Qinle , Raghavan Guruprasad , Kiselyov Kirill , Yang Ge
Published: November 2017

In eukaryotic cells, lysosomes are distributed in the cytoplasm as individual membrane-bound compartments to degrade macromolecules and to control cellular metabolism. A fundamental yet unanswered question is whether and, if so, how individual lysosomes are spatially organized so that their functions can be coordinated and integrated to meet changing needs of cells. To address this question, we analyze their collective behavior in cultured cells using spatial statistical techniques. We find that in single cells, lysosomes maintain nonrandom, stable, yet distinct spatial distributions, which are mediated by the coordinated effects of the cytoskeleton and lysosomal biogenesis on different lysosomal subpopulations. Furthermore, we find that throughout the intracellular space, lysosomes form dynamic clusters that substantially increase their interactions with endosomes. Together, our findings reveal the spatial organization of lysosomes at the whole-cell scale and provide new insights into how organelle interactions are mediated and regulated over the entire intracellular space.
Mining medical related temporal information from patients’ self-description
Authors: Zhu Lichao , Yang Hangzhou , Yan Zhijun
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a new method to extract medical temporal information from online health communities.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors trained a conditional random-filed model for the extraction of temporal expressions. The temporal relation identification is considered as a classification task and several support vector machine classifiers are built in the proposed method. For the model training, the authors extracted some high-level semantic features including co-reference relationship of medical concepts and the semantic similarity among words.

Findings

For the extraction of TIMEX, the authors find that well-formatted expressions are easy to recognize, and the main challenge is the relative TIMEX such as “three days after onset”. It also shows the same difficulty for normalization of absolute date or well-formatted duration, whereas frequency is easier to be normalized. For the identification of DocTimeRel, the result is fairly well, and the relation is difficult to identify when it involves a relative TIMEX or a hypothetical concept.

Originality/value

The authors proposed a new method to extract temporal information from the online clinical data and evaluated the usefulness of different level of syntactic features in this task.
Fake and pirated: do consumers care?
Authors: Chaudhry Peggy E. , Cesareo Ludovica
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of messages in anti-counterfeiting campaigns that use a fear of legal prosecution, role models, peer pressure, linkages to organized crime and education.

Design/methodology/approach

A web survey of consumer perceptions regarding the effectiveness of different anti-counterfeiting campaigns on complicity was administered to 1,786 consumers in Brazil, China, India, Russia and the USA.

Findings

The effectiveness of the different anti-counterfeiting campaigns varies by country. Some can be used more successfully than others to limit complicity with the goal to transform consumers from accomplices of infringers to advocates of authenticity.

Research limitations/implications

An unexpected finding of this study was that several of the anti-counterfeiting campaigns were perceived as effective by consumers who reside in countries, such as China, that are well known for flourishing domestic counterfeit markets. Thus, these exploratory results provide a starting point for future researchers and practitioners to create and evaluate the efficacy of messages in anti-counterfeiting campaigns in markets where counterfeits and pirated goods are readily accessible in both physical and virtual markets.

Originality/value

Prior research establishes why consumers accept counterfeit and pirated products and also suggests a number of strategies to decrease its occurrence, mostly from a managerial perspective. This is the first multi-country study to assess whether consumers believe anti-counterfeiting campaigns will curb product counterfeiting.
Corporate social innovation: an Indian moving company drives industry change
Authors: Jayakumar Tulsi
Published: November 2017

Purpose

This paper aims to understand how emerging economy firms can use the growing emphasis on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability as an opportunity to drive corporate social innovations (CSIs) so as to create shared value and gain competitive advantage.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper applies a case study design. Building on in-depth interviews with company officials, document analysis and secondary sources, the paper presents a model of CSIs.

Findings

The case study presents evidence of how Agarwal Packers and Movers Limited – an Indian family managed business firm operating in the fragmented, unorganized and highly competitive household relocation segment of the Indian logistics industry – used socio-environmental sustainability challenges to drive CSIs. These innovations helped it to differentiate itself from competitors and gain competitive advantage, while creating shared value simultaneously.

Practical implications

Indian firms have been lagging behind on both sustainability/CSR and innovations. Driven by domestic regulatory requirements, as also the need to compete in a globalizing economy, emerging economy firms may strategize to integrate their sustainability agenda with innovations to influence both organizational and societal outcomes.

Originality/value

Firm innovations, even in advanced countries, have been driven by market triggers, with ideas internal to the firm. The paper contributes to the limited research on innovations in emerging economy firms and shows how they may “leapfrog” their growth pathways by systematically integrating their sustainability agenda with innovation activities.
Purchasing food to counteract Mafia in Italy
Authors: Rivaroli Sergio , Ruggeri Arianna , Novi Pietro , Spadoni Roberta
Published: November 2017

Purpose

The paper aims to investigate pro-social behaviour of Italian consumers during the decision-making process of buying food produced in lands confiscated from Mafia-type organisations. This is assumed as a form of buycotting, thus as an ethical purchasing choice to contribute to social change.

Design/methodology/approach

Data from 339 interviews were elaborated with a cluster analysis. The difference between groups was confirmed using MANOVA, whereas the multivariate multiple regression analysis was carried out to assess the difference between clusters.

Findings

Three types of consumer groups are identified: absolutists, exceptionists and subjectivists. Coherent with previous studies, findings also highlight the relevance of information acquisition and of the self-effectiveness perception as key factors to stimulate pro-social behaviours.

Originality/value

With a social marketing perspective, the paper offers useful suggestions to promote political consumerism as a critical choice to contribute to fight against Mafia-type organisations and to spread a culture of lawfulness.
Telephone discharge support for frail, vulnerable older people discharged from hospital: Impact on readmission rates – Participant and general practitioner feedback
Authors: Heppenstall Claire P , Hanger Hugh C , Wilkinson Timothy J , Dhanak Michelle
Published: November 2017

Objective

To assess the use and acceptability to older participants and general practitioners (GPs) of telephone support postdischarge to reduce readmissions.

Methods

A prospective cohort study of older people after discharge from a specialist geriatric unit, and comparison with a previous cohort. Telephone follow‐up calls were made fortnightly for three months. Structured questionnaires were used to obtain feedback from participants and GPs.

Results

Readmission rates were high, 40%, despite the intervention. This rate had significantly increased since the earlier cohort. Almost one‐fifth of the sample (19%) were readmitted before the first telephone call. Subsequent readmissions were not related to whether participants had reported deteriorating health during the preceding telephone call. Feedback on the intervention from both participants and GPs was supportive.

Conclusions

Telephone follow‐up as we used it did not reduce readmission rates. However, it was well received and appreciated by participants. It is possible the telephone calls were not made early enough or frequently enough to achieve the desired outcome.
China's Belt and Road Initiative: Can Europe Expect Trade Gains?
Authors: Herrero Alicia Garcia , Xu Jianwei
Published: November 2017

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to improve cross‐border infrastructure to reduce transportation costs across a massive geographical area between China and Europe. We estimate how much trade might be created among Belt and Road (B&R) countries as a consequence of the reduction in transportation costs (both railway and maritime) and find that European Union countries, especially landlocked countries, will benefit considerably. This is also true for Eastern Europe and Central Asia and, to a lesser extent, South‐East Asia. In contrast, if China were to seek to establish a free trade area within the B&R region, EU member states would benefit less, while Asia would benefit more. Xi Jinping's current vision for the B&R, centered on improving transport infrastructure, is advantageous for Europe as far as trade creation is concerned.
Case Report: A Cryptosporidium infection in a patient with relapsed T‐lymphoblastic lymphoma undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Schiller Joanna , Klein Sebastian , Engels Marianne , Büttner Reinhard , Rybniker Jan , Fätkenheuer Gerd , Scheid Christof , Wybranski Christian , Quaas Alexander , Reinhardt Hans Christian , Flümann Ruth
Published: November 2017

Cryptosporidium infection is a rare cause of enterocolitis. In immunocompromised patients, cryptosporidiosis may lead to debilitating and life‐threatening diarrhea and malabsorption, occasionally with multi‐organ involvement. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) requires long‐term immunosuppressive therapy, while cellular immunity is usually compromised due to intensive conditioning chemotherapy. Diarrhea in patients who underwent allo‐HSCT may be a sign of an infection, but can also be the result of intestinal graft‐versus‐host disease (GvHD). Here, we describe the case of a patient who developed severe diarrhea following allo‐HSCT for relapsed T‐lymphoblastic lymphoma. Initially, GvHD was suspected and treatment was initiated accordingly. However, a colon biopsy showed signs of cryptosporide oocysts alongside only low‐grade GvHD. Following molecular confirmation of the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis, an intensive treatment regimen was started. Despite the severe clinical course, the patient recovered and was discharged with only residual symptoms.
Patterns and drivers of fish extirpations in rivers of the American Southwest and Southeast
Authors: Kominoski John S. , Ruhí Albert , Hagler Megan M. , Petersen Kelly , Sabo John L. , Sinha Tushar , Sankarasubramanian Arumugam , Olden Julian D.
Published: November 2017

Effective conservation of freshwater biodiversity requires spatially explicit investigations of how dams and hydroclimatic alterations among climate regions may interact to drive species to extinction. We investigated how dams and hydroclimatic alterations interact with species ecological and life history traits to influence past extirpation probabilities of native freshwater fishes in the Upper and Lower Colorado River (CR), Alabama‐Coosa‐Tallapoosa (ACT), and Apalachicola‐Chattahoochee‐Flint (ACF) basins. Using long‐term discharge data for continuously gaged streams and rivers, we quantified streamflow anomalies (i.e., departure “expected” streamflow) at the sub‐basin scale over the past half‐century. Next, we related extirpation probabilities of native fishes in both regions to streamflow anomalies, river basin characteristics, species traits, and non‐native species richness using binomial logistic regression. Sub‐basin extirpations in the Southwest (n = 95 Upper CR, n = 130 Lower CR) were highest in lowland mainstem rivers impacted by large dams and in desert springs. Dampened flow seasonality, increased longevity (i.e., delayed reproduction), and decreased fish egg sizes (i.e., lower parental care) were related to elevated fish extirpation probability in the Southwest. Sub‐basin extirpations in the Southeast (ACT n = 46, ACF n = 22) were most prevalent in upland rivers, with flow dependency, greater age and length at maturity, isolation by dams, and greater distance upstream. Our results confirm that dams are an overriding driver of native fish species losses, irrespective of basin‐wide differences in native or non‐native species richness. Dams and hydrologic alterations interact with species traits to influence community disassembly, and very high extirpation risks in the Southeast are due to interactions between high dam density and species restricted ranges. Given global surges in dam building and retrofitting, increased extirpation risks should be expected unless management strategies that balance flow regulation with ecological outcomes are widely implemented.
Large‐scale migrations of brown bears in Eurasia and to North America during the Late Pleistocene
Authors: Anijalg Peeter , Ho Simon Y. W. , Davison John , Keis Marju , Tammeleht Egle , Bobowik Katalina , Tumanov Igor L. , Saveljev Alexander P. , Lyapunova Elena A. , Vorobiev Alexandr A. , Markov Nikolai I. , Kryukov Alexey P. , Kojola Ilpo , Swenson Jon E. , Hagen Snorre B. , Eiken Hans Geir , Paule Ladislav , Saarma Urmas
Published: November 2017

Aim

Climatic changes during the Late Pleistocene had major impacts on populations of plant and animal species. Brown bears and other large mammals are likely to have experienced analogous ecological pressures and phylogeographical processes. Here, we address several unresolved issues regarding the Late Pleistocene demography of brown bears: (1) the putative locations of refugia; (2) the direction of migrations across Eurasia and into North America; and (3) parallels with the demographic histories of other wild mammals and modern humans.

Location

Eurasia and North America.

Methods

We sequenced 110 complete mitochondrial genomes from Eurasian brown bears and combined these with published sequences from 138 brown bears and 33 polar bears. We used a Bayesian approach to obtain a joint estimate of the phylogeny and evolutionary divergence times. The inferred mutation rate was compared with estimates obtained using two additional methods.

Results

Bayesian phylogenetic analysis identified seven clades of brown bears, with most individuals belonging to a very large Holarctic clade. Bears from the widespread clade 3a1, which has a distribution from Europe across Asia to Alaska, shared a common ancestor about 45,000 years ago.

Main conclusions

We suggest that the Altai‐Sayan region and Beringia were important Late Pleistocene refuge areas for brown bears and propose large‐scale migration scenarios for bears in Eurasia and to North America. We also argue that brown bears and modern humans experienced a demographic standstill in Beringia before colonizing North America.
Di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure disturbs lipid metabolism in juvenile yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco
Authors: Meng F. X. , Li M. , Song M. Z. , Yuan L. X. , Gong Y. F. , Qian Y. X. , Shi G. , Wang R. X.
Published: November 2017

This study was conducted to determine the mechanism by which di‐2‐ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure influences lipid metabolism of juvenile yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco. Fish were exposed to three DEHP concentrations (0, 0·1 and 0·5 mg l−1 DEHP) for 8 weeks. Fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity significantly decreased with increasing DEHP concentrations, the highest value was in the Tween control group, whereas the lowest activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were in this group. The messenger (m)RNA levels of 6‐phospho‐gluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD), FAS and acetyl‐CoA carboxylase a (ACCa) significantly increased with increasing DEHP concentration, the highest values were in the 0·5 mg l−1 DEHP group. The mRNA level of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was lower in Tween control than in fish exposed to 0·1 and 0·5 mg l−1 DEHP. The highest mRNA level of ACCb was in the 0·1 mg l−1 DEHP group. These results indicate that DEHP exposure can disturb lipid metabolism at the enzymatic and mRNA levels in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.
An All‐Zirconia Crown Discovered 2 Years Following Aspiration
Authors: Qin Han , Qing Hai , Hu Na , Zhu Hui , Wang Jian
Published: November 2017

Accidental aspiration or ingestion can occur in dental treatment, as most procedures are performed with the patient in a supine position or semi‐recumbent position. Aspiration of foreign bodies commonly causes acute symptoms such as violent coughing, choking, and dyspnea; however, if foreign bodies are stuck distally to the lower lobe bronchi or the bronchus intermedius, acute presentation can be rare. This clinical report documents a 68‐year‐old male patient who accidentally aspirated an all‐zirconia crown during the try‐in procedure. The case was initially surmised as ingestion. The crown remained in the lower lobe of the left lung for about 2 years without any significant symptoms. This report cautions the importance of airway protection during dental procedures.
Tilmicosin‐ and florfenicol‐loaded hydrogenated castor oil‐solid lipid nanoparticles to pigs: Combined antibacterial activities and pharmacokinetics
Authors: Ling Z. , Yonghong L. , Junfeng L. , Li Z. , Xianqiang L.
Published: November 2017

The combined antibacterial effects of tilmicosin (TIL) and florfenicol (FF) against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) (n = 2), Streptococcus suis (S. suis) (n = 2), and Haemophilus parasuis (HPS) (n = 2) were evaluated by chekerboard test and time‐kill assays. The pharmacokinetics (PKs) of TIL‐ and FF‐loaded hydrogenated castor oil (HCO)‐solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were performed in healthy pigs. The results indicated that TIL and FF showed synergistic or additive antibacterial activities against APP, S. suis and HPS with the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) ranging from 0.375 to 0.75. The time‐kill assays showed that 1/2 minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) TIL combined with 1/2 MIC FF had a stronger ability to inhibit the growth of APP, S. suis, and HPS than 1 MIC TIL or 1 MIC FF, respectively. After oral administration, plasma TIL and FF concentrations could maintain about 0.1 μg/ml for 192 and 176 hr. The SLN prolonged the last time point with detectable concentrations (Tlast), area under the concentration–time curve (AUC0‐t), elimination half‐life (T½ke), and mean residence time (MRT) by 3.1, 5.6, 12.7, 3.4‐fold of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of TIL and 11.8, 16.5, 18.1, 12.1‐fold of the API of FF, respectively. This study suggests that the TIL‐FF‐SLN could be a useful oral formulation for the treatment of APP, S. suis, and HPS infection in pigs.
Rectal administration of vigabatrin achieves higher plasma concentration than oral administration
Authors: Hussein Omar , Sawalha Khalid , Kalra Arun
Published: November 2017

Vigabatrin is a synthetic GABA derivative that is used to treat infantile spasms and as an adjunctive therapy in resistant cases of epilepsy. We present an 18‐month‐old white male with a history of infantile spasms, very well controlled on oral phenobarbital, and vigabatrin 55 mg/kg BID, who was admitted for urgent surgical management of esophageal obstruction. Vigabatrin is known to be administered orally only with a bioavailability of 80%. As oral administration was not possible, the medicine was crushed and dissolved in 15 cc of water to be administered rectally. The patient achieved serum level three times higher than the oral route. Our case suggests that rectal administration of vigabatrin might be an efficient route to achieve therapeutic drug‐plasma level.
Members of the DEAL subfamily of the DUF1218 gene family are required for bilateral symmetry but not for dorsoventrality in Arabidopsis leaves
Authors: Wilson‐Sánchez David , Martínez‐López Sebastián , Navarro‐Cartagena Sergio , Jover‐Gil Sara , Micol José Luis
Published: November 2017

Most plant leaves exhibit bilateral symmetry, which has been hypothesized as an inevitable consequence of the existence of the proximodistal and dorsoventral axes. No gene has been described that affects leaf bilateral symmetry but not dorsoventrality in Arabidopsis thaliana.

We screened for viable insertional mutations that affect leaf morphology, and out of more than 700 mutants found only one, desigual1‐1 (deal1‐1), that exhibited bilateral symmetry breaking but no obvious defects in dorsoventrality. We found that deal1‐1 is an allele of VASCULATURE COMPLEXITY AND CONNECTIVITY (VCC).

Several overlapping regulatory pathways establish the interspersed lobes and indentations along the margin of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. These pathways involve feedback loops of auxin, the PIN‐FORMED1 (PIN1) auxin efflux carrier, and the CUP‐SHAPED COTYLEDON2 (CUC2) transcriptional regulator. Early vcc (deal1) leaf primordia fail to acquire bilateral symmetry and instead form ectopic lobes and sinuses. The vcc leaves show aberrant recruitment of marginal cells expressing properly polarized PIN1, resulting in misplaced auxin maxima. Normal PIN1 polarization requires CUC2 expression and CUC2 genetically interacts with VCC; VCC also affects CUC2 expression.

VCC has a domain of unknown function, DUF1218, and localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. VCC acts partially redundantly with its two closest paralogs, DEAL2 and DEAL3, in early leaf margin patterning and is required for bilateral symmetry, but its loss of function does not visibly affect dorsoventrality.
Phenotypic characteristics associated with slow gait speed in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: Nolan Claire M. , Maddocks Matthew , Maher Toby M. , Canavan Jane L. , Jones Sarah E. , Barker Ruth E. , Patel Suhani , Jacob Joseph , Cullinan Paul , Man William D.‐C.
Published: November 2017

Background and objective

Usual gait speed over 4 m (4MGS) is an established functional performance measure in older adults that consistently predicts adverse health outcomes, but few data exist in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We assessed the reliability of 4MGS, its relationship with established outcome measures and its responsiveness to pulmonary rehabilitation.

Methods

In four prospective IPF cohorts, 4MGS inter‐observer (n = 46) and test–retest (n = 46) reliability, concurrent validity (n = 65 and n = 62) and responsiveness (n = 60) were determined. The phenotypic characteristics of all patients stratified according to slow 4MGS (<0.8 m/s) were compared, including lung function parameters, HRCT of the chest, 6‐min walking distance (6MWD), Medical Respiratory Council (MRC) dyspnoea score, King’s Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (KBILD) questionnaire and Gender, Age and lung Physiology (GAP) prognostic index.

Results

Intra‐class correlation coefficients for inter‐observer and test–retest reliability were 0.996 and 0.983, respectively. There was a strong association between 4MGS and 6MWD (r = 0.76; P < 0.0001) and moderate correlations with MRC (r = −0.56), KBILD (r = 0.44) and GAP index (r = −0.41); all P < 0.005. 4MGS improved significantly with pulmonary rehabilitation (mean (95% CI) change: 0.16 (0.12–0.20) m/s), effect size 0.65. Patients with slow 4MGS had significantly worse exercise performance (6MWD: −167 (−220 to −133) m), dyspnoea, health status and prognosis index than those with preserved 4MGS, despite similar lung function and HRCT parameters.

Conclusion

4MGS is a simple, reliable, valid and responsive tool that may detect a patient phenotype with worse exercise performance, dyspnoea, health status and prognosis index in stable IPF.
Potential Exposure and Cancer Risk from Formaldehyde Emissions from Installed Chinese Manufactured Laminate Flooring
Authors: Sheehan Patrick , Singhal Ankur , Bogen Kenneth T. , MacIntosh David , Kalmes Renee M. , McCarthy John
Published: November 2017

Lumber Liquidators (LL) Chinese‐manufactured laminate flooring (CLF) has been installed in >400,000 U.S. homes over the last decade. To characterize potential associated formaldehyde exposures and cancer risks, chamber emissions data were collected from 399 new LL CLF, and from LL CLF installed in 899 homes in which measured aggregate indoor formaldehyde concentrations exceeded 100 μg/m3 from a total of 17,867 homes screened. Data from both sources were combined to characterize LL CLF flooring‐associated formaldehyde emissions from new boards and installed boards. New flooring had an average (±SD) emission rate of 61.3 ± 52.1 μg/m2‐hour; >one‐year installed boards had ∼threefold lower emission rates. Estimated emission rates for the 899 homes and corresponding data from questionnaires were used as inputs to a single‐compartment, steady‐state mass‐balance model to estimate corresponding residence‐specific TWA formaldehyde concentrations and potential resident exposures. Only ∼0.7% of those homes had estimated acute formaldehyde concentrations >100 μg/m3 immediately after LL CLF installation. The TWA daily formaldehyde inhalation exposure within the 899 homes was estimated to be 17 μg/day using California Proposition 65 default methods to extrapolate cancer risk (below the regulation “no significant risk level” of 40 μg/day). Using a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency linear cancer risk model, 50th and 95th percentile values of expected lifetime cancer risk for residents of these homes were estimated to be 0.33 and 1.2 per 100,000 exposed, respectively. Based on more recent data and verified nonlinear cancer risk assessment models, LL CLF formaldehyde emissions pose virtually no cancer risk to affected consumers.
Successful heart transplantation in patients with active Staphylococcus bloodstream infection and suspected mechanical circulatory support device infection
Authors: Sullivan Timothy , Taimur Sarah , Rana Meenakshi , Patel Gopi , Pinney Sean , Anyanwu Anelechi , Huprikar Shirish
Published: November 2017

Background

An active bloodstream infection (BSI) is typically considered a contraindication to heart transplantation (HT). However, in some patients with Staphylococcus bacteremia and mechanical circulatory support device infection, positive blood cultures may persist until removal of the infected device, and eradicating the infection prior to HT may not be possible. We report the outcomes of six patients with active Staphylococcus BSI at the time of HT.

Methods

All cases of HT performed at The Mount Sinai Hospital from 2009 through 2015 were reviewed. All patients with a mechanical circulatory support device and an active Staphylococcus BSI at the time of HT were included.

Results

Six patients with active Staphylococcus bacteremia and suspected mechanical circulatory support device infection underwent HT. All patients were bacteremic with Staphylococcus species at the time of HT. All were managed with antimicrobial therapy, radical debridement at the time of HT, and limited use of immunosuppression, and all survived until hospital discharge with no evidence of relapsed Staphylococcus infection.

Conclusion

These results suggest that some carefully selected patients with active Staphylococcus bacteremia and suspected mechanical circulatory support device infection may safely undergo HT, and that HT may effectively eliminate the underlying infection.