bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phototrophic Methane Oxidation in a Member of the Chloroflexi Phylum
Authors: Ward Lewis M. , Shih Patrick M. , Hemp James , Kakegawa Takeshi , Fischer Woodward W. , McGlynn Shawn E.
Published: January 2019

Biological methane cycling plays an important role in Earth’s climate and the global carbon cycle, with biological methane oxidation (methanotrophy) modulating methane release from numerous environments including soils, sediments, and water columns. Methanotrophy is typically coupled to aerobic respiration or anaerobically via the reduction of sulfate, nitrate, or metal oxides, and while the possibility of coupling methane oxidation to phototrophy (photomethanotrophy) has been proposed, no organism has ever been described that is capable of this metabolism. Here we described a new bacterial genome from a member of the Chloroflexi phylum—termed hereCandidatusChlorolinea photomethanotrophicum—with cooccurring methanotrophy and phototrophy pathways, suggesting a novel link between these two metabolisms. Recovered as a metagenome-assembled genome from microbial mats in an iron-rich hot spring in Japan,Ca.‘C. photomethanotrophicum’ forms a new lineage within the Chloroflexi phylum and expands the known metabolic diversity of this already diverse clade.Ca.‘C. photomethanotrophicum’ appears to be metabolically versatile, capable of phototrophy (via a Type 2 reaction center), aerobic respiration, nitrite reduction, oxidation of methane and carbon monoxide, and potentially carbon fixation via a novel pathway composed of hybridized components of the serine cycle and the 3-hydroxypropionate bicycle. The biochemical network of this organism is constructed from components from multiple organisms and pathways, further demonstrating the modular nature of metabolic machinery and the ecological and evolutionary importance of horizontal gene transfer in the establishment of novel pathways.

Significance

Methane is a major greenhouse gas, and the production and consumption of methane is largely driven by the metabolism of microorganisms. Although it has been hypothesized for decades that some bacteria may be capable of growth by eating methane and conserving energy from sunlight (photomethanotrophy), this metabolism has never been discovered in nature. Here, we describe the first genetic evidence for a bacterium capable of photomethanotrophy, adding a new pathway to the known diversity of how microbes can make a living. This discovery also adds a new link to the global carbon cycle, and may provide new opportunities for designing biotechnological tools for processing methane.
The Minimum Environmental Perturbation Principle: A New Perspective on Niche Theory
Authors: Marsland Robert , Cui Wenping , Mehta Pankaj
Published: January 2019

Contemporary niche theory is a powerful conceptual framework for understanding how organisms interact with each other and with their shared environment. Here we show that a large segment of niche theory is equivalent to a Minimum Environmental Perturbation Principle (MEPP): ecosystems self-organize into a state that minimizes the impact of organisms on their environment. Different choices of environmental dynamics naturally give rise to distinct dissimilarity measures for quantifying environmental impact. The MEPP allows for the analysis of ecosystems with large numbers of species and environmental factors and provides a new avenue for analyzing ecological invasions. The MEPP also rigorously connects ecological bistability with the existence of multiple minima in a statistical-physics inspired landscapes. We show that the presence of environmental feedbacks where organisms can produce new resources in addition to depleting them violates the global MEPP. However, even in the presence of such feedbacks, a weaker, local version of the MEPP still applies in a limited region of resource space.
SLM-Transform: A Method for Memory-Efficient Indexing of Spectra for Database Search in LC-MS/MS Proteomics
Authors: Haseeb Muhammad , Awan Muaaz G. , Cadigan Alexander S. , Saeed Fahad
Published: January 2019

The most commonly used strategy for peptide identification in shotgun LC-MS/MS proteomics involves searching of MS/MS data against an in-silico digested protein sequence database. Typically, the digested peptide sequences are indexed into the memory to allow faster search times. However, subjecting a database to post-translational modifications (PTMs) during digestion results in an exponential increase in the number of peptides and therefore memory consumption. This limits the usage of existing fragment-ion based open-search algorithms for databases with several PTMs. In this paper, we propose a novel fragment-ion indexing technique which is analogous to suffix array transformation and allows constant time querying of indexed ions. We extend our transformation method, called SLM-Transform, by constructing ion buckets that allow querying of all indexed ions by mass by only storing information on distribution of ion-frequencies within buckets. The stored information is used with a regression technique to locate the position of ions in constant time. Moreover, the number of theoretical b- and y-ions generated and indexed for each theoretical spectrum are limited. Our results show that SLM-Transform allows indexing of up to 4x peptides than other leading fragment-ion based database search tools within the same memory constraints. We show that SLM-Transform based index allows indexing of over 83 million peptides within 26GB RAM as compared to 80GB required by MSFragger. Finally, we show the constant ion retrieval time for SLM-Transform based index allowing ultrafast peptide search speeds.

Source code will be made available at: https://github.com/pcdslab/slmindex
A computational pipeline to determine lobular electric field distribution during cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation
Authors: Rezaee Zeynab , Dutta Anirban
Published: January 2019

Objective

Cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) is challenging due to the complexity of the cerebellar structure. Therefore, our objective is to develop a freely available computational pipeline to perform cerebellar atlas-based electric field analysis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided subject-specific head modeling.

Methods

We present a freely available computational pipeline to determine subject-specific lobular electric field distribution during ctDCS. The computational pipeline can isolate subject-specific cerebellar lobules based on a spatially unbiased atlas (SUIT) for the cerebellum, and then calculates the lobular electric field distribution during ctDCS. The computational pipeline was tested in a case study using a subject-specific head model as well as using a Colin 27 Average Brain. The 5cmx5cm anode was placed 3 cm lateral to inion, and the same sized cathode was placed on the contralateral supraorbital area (called Manto montage) and buccinators muscle (called Celnik montage). A 4×1 HD-ctDCS electrode montage was also implemented for a comparison using analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Results

Eta-squared effect size after three-way ANOVA for electric field strength was 0.05 for lobule, 0.00 for montage, 0.04 for head model, 0.01 for lobule*montage interaction, 0.01 for lobule* head model interaction, and 0.00 for montage*head model interaction in case of Enorm. Here, the electric field strength of both the Celnik and the Manto montages affected the lobules Crus II, VIIb, VIII, IX of the targeted cerebellar hemispheres while Manto montage had more bilateral effect. The HD-ctDCS montage primarily affected the lobules Crus I, Crus II, VIIb of the targeted cerebellar hemisphere. Our freely available computational modeling approach to analyze subject-specific lobular electric field distribution during ctDCS provided an insight into healthy human anodal ctDCS results
MOU-EC: model-based whole-brain effective connectivity to extract biomarkers for brain dynamics from fMRI data and study distributed cognition
Authors: Gilson M , Zamora-López G , Pallarés V , Adhikari MH , Senden M , Tauste Campo A , Mantini D , Corbetta M , Deco G , Insabato A
Published: January 2019

Neuroimaging techniques are increasingly used to study brain cognition in humans. Beyond their individual activation, the functional associations between brain areas have become a standard proxy to describe how information is distributed across the brain network. Among the many analysis tools available, dynamic models of brain activity have been developed to overcome the limitations of original connectivity measures such as functional connectivity. In particular, much effort has been devoted to the assessment of directional interactions between brain areas from their observed activity. This paper summarizes our recent approach to analyze fMRI data based on our whole-brain effective connectivity referred to as MOU-EC, while discussing the pros and cons of its underlying assumptions with respect to other established approaches. Once tuned, the model provides a connectivity measure that reflects the dynamical state of BOLD activity obtained using fMRI, which can be used to explore the brain cognition. We focus on two important applications. First, as a connectivity measure, MOU-EC can be used to extract biomarkers for task-specific brain coordination, understood as the patterns of areas exchanging information. The multivariate nature of connectivity measures raises several challenges for whole-brain analysis, for which machine-learning tools presents some advantages over statistical testing. Second, we show how to interpret changes in MOU-EC connections in a collective and model-based manner, bridging with network analysis. To illustrate our framework, we use a dataset where subjects were recorded in two conditions, watching a movie and a black screen (referred to as rest). Our framework provides a comprehensive set of tools that open exciting perspectives for the study of distributed cognition, as well as neuropathologies.
Testing for batch effect through age predictors
Authors: Mamoshina Polina , Kochetov Kirill , Putin Evgeny , Aliper Alex , Zhavoronkov Alex
Published: January 2019

Transcriptome profiling has been shown really useful in the understanding of the aging process. To date, transcriptomic data is the second most abundant omics data type following genomics. To deconvolute the relationship between transcriptomic changes and aging one needs to conduct an analysis on the comprehensive dataset. At the same time, biological aging clocks constructed for clinical use needs to robustly predict new data without any further retraining. In this paper, we develop a transcriptomic deep-learned age predictor. Deep neural networks (DNN) are trained and tested on more than 6 000 blood gene expression samples from 17 datasets. We apply methods based on output derivatives of DNN to rank input genes by their importance in age prediction and reduce the dimensional of the data. We also show that batch effect in transcriptome datasets of healthy humans is indeed significant, but the existing normalization techniques, while removing technical variation quite effectively, also remove age-associated changes. So robust methods of age prediction are needed.
Early Life Adversity, but not suicide, is associated with less prefrontal cortex gray matter in adulthood
Authors: Underwood Mark D. , Bakalian Mihran J. , Escobar Teresa , Kassir Suham , Mann J. John , Arango Victoria
Published: January 2019

Background

Suicide and major depression (MDD) are more prevalent in individuals reporting early life adversity (ELA). Prefrontal cortex volume is reduced by stress acutely and progressively in vivo, and changes in neuron and glia density are reported in depressed suicide decedents. We previously found reduced levels of the neurotrophic factor BDNF in suicide decedents and with ELA, and in the present study we sought to determine whether cortex thickness, neuron density or glia density in the dorsolateral prefrontal (BA9) and anterior cingulate (BA24) cortex are associated with ELA or suicide.

Methods

A total of 52 brains, constituting 13 quadruplets of nonpsychiatric nonsuicide controls and MDD suicide decedents with and without ELA (n=13/group), all with psychological autopsy, were matched for age, sex and postmortem interval. Brains were collected at autopsy and frozen and blocks containing BA9 and BA24 were later dissected, post-fixed and sectioned. Sections were immunostained for NeuN to label neurons and counterstained with thionin to stain glial cell nuclei. Cortex thickness, neuron and glial density and neuron volume were measured by stereology.

Results

Cortical thickness was 6% less with an ELA history in BA9 and 12% less in BA24 (p<0.05), but not in depressed suicide decedents in either BA9 or BA24. Neuron density was not different in ELA or in suicide decedents, but glial density was 17% greater with ELA history in BA9 and 15% greater in BA24, but not in suicides. Neuron volume was not different with ELA or suicide.

Discussion

Reported ELA, but not the stress associated with suicide, is associated with thinner prefrontal cortex and greater glia density in adulthood. ELA may alter normal neurodevelopment and contribute to suicide risk.
Developmental Changes in Movement Related Brain Activity in Early Childhood
Authors: Johnson Blake , Jobst Cecilia , Al-Loos Rita , He Wei , Cheyne Douglas
Published: January 2019

In a previous MEG study of movement-related brain activity in preschool age children, we reported that pre-movement fields and sensorimotor cortex oscillations differed from those typically observed in adults, suggesting that maturation of cortical motor networks is still incomplete by late preschool age (Cheyne et al., 2014). Here we describe the same measurements in an older group of school-aged children (6 to 8 years old) and an adult control group, in addition to repeated recordings in seven children from the original study approximately two years later. Differences were observed both longitudinally within children and between age groups. Pre-movement (readiness) fields were still not present in the oldest children, however both frequency and magnitude of movement-related mu (8-12Hz) and beta (15-30Hz) oscillations demonstrated linear increases with age. In contrast, movement-evoked gamma synchronization demonstrated a step-like transition from low (30-50 Hz) to high (70-90 Hz) narrow-band oscillations, and this occurred at different ages in different children. These data provide novel evidence of linear and non-linear changes in motor cortex oscillations and delayed development of the readiness field throughout early childhood. Individual children showed large differences in maturation of movement-related brain activity, possibly reflecting differing rates of motor development.
The Impact of Uremia and Intestinal Dysbiosis on Hepatic Drug Metabolism in a Rat Model of Progressive Chronic Kidney Disease
Authors: Hartjes Emily D , Lim Yong Jin , Velenosi Thomas J , Al Kait F , Macklaim Jean M , Kucey Andrew S , Reid Gregor , Burton Jeremy P , Gloor Gregory B , Urquhart Bradley L
Published: January 2019

Nonrenal clearance pathways such as drug metabolism are decreased in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although the mechanism remains elusive, uremic toxin retention and an altered gut microbiota are suspected to influence cytochrome P450s (CYPs) contributing to the unpredictable pharmacokinetics in patients with CKD. We characterized dysbiosis and uremia in CKD to elucidate associations between CYP expression and CKD progression. Rats fed control or CKD-inducing adenine diet were subsequently studied at five time points over 42 days. CYP expression and activity were compared to alterations in the 1) plasma and liver metabolome and 2) gut bacterial microbiota. CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 were downregulated in CKD by ≥76% (p<0.001) concurrently with or slightly prior to CKD onset as defined by serum creatinine. Metabolite profiles were altered prior to changes in the gut microbiota, and gut-derived uremic toxins including indoxyl sulfate, phenyl sulfate and 4-ethylphenyl sulfate correlated with CYP3A2 or CYP2C11 expression. Bacterial genera Turicibacter and Parabacteroides were identified as being characteristic of CKD. In conclusion, CYP3A2 and CYP2C11 are downregulated before dysbiosis and correlate with select uremic toxins.
Transfer of regulatory knowledge from human to mouse for functional genomic analysis
Authors: Holland Christian H. , Szalai Bence , Saez-Rodriguez Julio
Published: January 2019

Transcriptome profiling followed by differential gene expression analysis often leads to unclear lists of genes which are hard to analyse and interpret. Functional genomic tools are powerful approaches for downstream analysis, as they summarize the large and noisy gene expression space in a smaller number of biological meaningful features. In particular, methods that estimate the activity of processes by mapping transcripts level to process members are popular. However, footprints of either a pathway or transcription factor (TF) on gene expression show superior performance over mapping-based gene sets. These footprints are largely developed for human and their usability in the broadly-used model organism Mus musculus is uncertain. Evolutionary conservation of the gene regulatory system suggests that footprints of human pathways and TFs can functionally characterize mice data. In this paper we analyze this hypothesis. We perform a comprehensive benchmark study exploiting two state-of-the-art footprint methods, DoRothEA and an extended version of PROGENy. These methods infer TF and pathway activity, respectively. Our results show that both can recover mouse perturbations, confirming our hypothesis that footprints are conserved between mice and humans. Subsequently, we illustrate the usability of PROGENy and DoRothEA by recovering pathway/TF-disease associations from newly generated disease sets. Additionally, we provide pathway and TF activity scores for a large collection of human and mouse perturbation and disease experiments (2,374). We believe that this resource, available for interactive exploration and download (https://saezlab.shinyapps.io/footprint_scores/), can have broad applications including the study of diseases and therapeutics.
Cognitive resonance: When information carry‐over constrains cognitive plasticity
Authors: Ferrari Maud C. O. , Horn Marianna E. , Chivers Douglas P.
Published: January 2019

When faced with a changing environment, some species appear to adapt quickly, while others seem unable to update the value of environmental cues on which they base their decisions, leading them to display seemingly maladaptive responses.

While behavioural and cognitive plasticity are two traits that should predict the ability of species to update the value of environmental cues, we argue that this flexibility may be constrained by ontogeny. While sensitive periods have been shown to exist for establishing an individual’s food, habitat and mate preference, no studies have established the existence of a cognitive sensitive period for predation‐related information.

In this study, we used wood frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus, to demonstrate the existence of a sensitive period for predation‐related information, with risk information learned as embryos maintained for more than 5 weeks, while the same information learned as tadpoles was unused after just 10 days. Next, we demonstrated that tadpoles that had learned a cue as safe as embryos were unable to update the cue as risky after three fear conditioning attempts, while tadpoles that learned the cue as safe a few days prior did successfully update the cue as risky after three conditionings.

We coined the term “cognitive resonance” to describe how information learned early in life can have marked cognitive consequence later in life, affecting not only the duration for which information learned is actively used in decision‐making, but how this information can interfere with the acquisition of up‐to‐date information about the environment.

Cognitive resonance might be beneficial in stable environments where the change in the value of a cue is relatively small through time, but it can quickly become costly in environments where the identity of potential threats changes quickly, as in the case of introduced species.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Unraveling the scales of effect of landscape structure on primate species richness and density of titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons)
Authors: Gestich Carla C. , Arroyo‐Rodríguez Víctor , Ribeiro Milton C. , da Cunha Rogério G. T. , Setz Eleonore Z. F.
Published: January 2019

In the Anthropocene, many animal populations are increasingly confined to human‐modified landscapes, in which different spatial variables describing landscape composition and configuration influence species persistence. Forest specialist species are particularly vulnerable to these landscape disturbances. Yet, landscape effects may be undetected if assessed at the wrong spatial scale. Thus, identifying the “scale of effect”, which is the optimal spatial scale for estimating ecological responses to each landscape variable, is needed to understand the impact of landscape structure modification on species. Here, we explored the scale of effect of two compositional (forest cover and anthropogenic cover) and two configurational landscape variables (forest patch density and forest edge density) on two ecological responses: primate species richness and group densities of titi monkeys (Callicebus nigrifrons). We sampled 16 study sites in northeastern São Paulo State, Brazil. For each site, we measured each landscape variable within 10 different‐sized landscapes ranging from 0.2 to 28.3 km2 to identify the scale of effect of each landscape variable. The strength of all the primate‐landscape relationships varied across spatial scales. Although both ecological responses were most strongly associated with forest cover at the largest scale, the scale of effect of the other landscape variables differed between the response variables. These results suggest that each response variable is shaped by landscape patterns and processes operating across different spatial scales. We highlight the importance of separately assessing the scale of effect of each landscape variable on each ecological response to better understand the impact of landscape structure on species persistence.
PentraSorb C‐Reactive Protein: Characterization of the Selective C‐Reactive Protein Adsorber Resin
Authors: Mattecka Stephan , Brunner Patrizia , Hähnel Britta , Kunze Rudolf , Vogt Birgit , Sheriff Ahmed
Published: January 2019

C‐reactive protein (CRP) is well known as a general marker of inflammation. It furthermore represents a reliable risk factor for cardiac events and mediates tissue damage in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). It has been demonstrated that selective CRP depletion by extracorporeal apheresis in a porcine AMI model had beneficial effects on the infarcted area and the cardiac output. We therefore developed a novel adsorber for CRP apheresis from human plasma (PentraSorb CRP). It is intended for use in the clinic as therapy for patients suffering from AMI or other acute inflammatory diseases with elevated CRP plasma levels. The PentraSorb resin specifically bound CRP from human blood plasma and almost no other proteins as determined via Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electropheresis (SDS‐PAGE). The resin further efficiently and selectively depleted CRP from plasma with low as well as high CRP concentrations (10–100 mg/L) at different flow rates, ranging from 17 to 40 mL/min. The resin was regenerable for up to 200 times without losing its CRP binding capacity or affecting biocompatibility. The depletion of CRP from plasma was comparable between the utilized small‐scale column (0.5 mL resin) and the PentraSorb CRP adsorber (20 mL resin volume). The established features can therefore be applied to the clinical setting. In summary, PentraSorb CRP provides a novel, specific, and efficient CRP‐binding resin that could be used in apheresis therapy for patients suffering from inflammatory diseases such as AMI, stroke, acute pancreatitis, and Crohn's disease.
Effect of Chronic Ethanol Feeding on Endotoxin‐Induced Hepatic Injury: Role of Adhesion Molecules on Leukocytes and Hepatic Sinusoid
Authors: Ohki E. , Kato S. , Ohgo H. , Mizukami T. , Fukuda M. , Tamai H. , Okamura Y. , Matsumoto M. , Suzuki H. , Yokoyama H. , Ishii H.
Published: January 2019

Endotoxin is postulated to be an important aggravating factor for alcoholic liver disease. We have previously reported that rats fed ethanol are more vulnerable to endotoxin‐induced liver damage, and hepatic microcirculatory disturbance plays an important role for this liver damage by observation with an intravital microscopy. In this study, we have investigated the role of adhesion molecules in endotoxin‐induced microcirculatory disturbance in chronic ethanol‐fed rats. Male Wistar rats were pair‐fed with ethanol liquid diet (ethanol group) or an isocaloric control diet (control group) for 6 weeks. Leukocyte adherence to the hepatic sinusoid by stimulation with lipopolysaccharides (1 mg/kg of body weight) was observed by an inverted fluorescence microscopy equipped with a silicon‐intensified target camera and was found to be enhanced in ethanol‐fed rats. Tumor necrosis factor‐α and GRO/CINC‐1 (rat counterpart of interleukin‐8) was increased in the blood in these animals. Subsequent expression of adhesion molecules, LFA‐1 β‐chain on leukocytes were demonstrated by flow cytometry, which suggests a possible involvement of leukocyte adherence to the hepatic damage in ethanol‐fed animals. Preadministration of anti‐rat LFA‐1 β‐chain monoclonal antibody effectively suppressed leukocyte adherence to the hepatic sinusoid. These results suggest that the enhanced sequestration of neutrophils to the liver with these adhesion molecules may Play a significant role in the pathogenesis of alcoholic liver disease.
Hepatitis G Virus Infection in Patients with Alcoholic Liver Disease
Authors: Sobue Satoshi , Higashi Katsuyoshi , Nakao Haruhisa , Takahashi Yoshitsugu , Itoh Makoto , Nakajima Katsuhisa
Published: January 2019

The recently discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) is believed to be a single‐stranded RNA virus belonging to the Flaviviridae family, similar to hepatitis C virus (HCV), but much remains to be learned about its characteristics and clinical manifestations. Although it has been suggested that alcohol intake might have an effect on liver pathology by promoting the proliferation of HCV, the association between HGV infection and alcohol intake is yet to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the prevalence of HGV‐RNA and HCV‐RNA in 63 patients with alcoholic liver disease, and studied the effects of alcohol on the progression of hepatic damage in HGV‐RNA positive patients. Among these 63 patients, 9 (14%) were HGV‐RNA‐positive and 37 (59%) were HCV‐RNA‐positive. Seven (78%) of the nine HGV‐RNA positive patients were also infected with HCV. The patients showed no significant differences of clinical features in relation to the presence or absence of HGV infection. There were also no differences of liver histology among HCV‐RNA‐positive patients with or without HGV‐RNA. The two patients infected with HGV alone had alcoholic hepatitis and nonspecific reactive hepatitis, respectively. In this study, alcohol seemed to have little influence on the progression of the liver histology in HGV‐RNA‐positive patients.
Korean Status of Alcoholics and Alcohol‐Related Health Problems
Authors: Park Sang Chul , Oh Se In , Lee Mee Sook
Published: January 2019

Recent changes in the socioeconomic status of Korea have caused big differences in alcohol‐related social and health problems. The traditional trait of drinking mild fermented beverages with nutritional side dishes and meals has shifted to drinking strongly distilled liquors without any side dishes. Moreover, the alcohol consumption per adult capita of Korea is now 8.1 liters, which parallels the level of other developed countries; it used to be 1.0 liter in 1960 and 7.0 liters in 1980, respectively. But the alcohol consumption per capita of adult males is now 18.4 liters. Consequently, the national incidence of alcohol‐related diseases and accidents has rapidly increased. Korean adult males have the highest risk of the incidence of hepatoma. The rate of car accidents caused by drunken driving is about 10‐fold higher than in any other developed country.
Nutritional dual burden in Indigenous young adults: The geographical differential
Authors: Davison Belinda , Goodall Jennifer , Whalan Sarah , Montgomery‐Quin Kathleen , Howarth Timothy , Singh Gurmeet
Published: January 2019

Objective

Nutritional dual burden is defined as the coexistence of underweight and overweight in the same population. We report the rates of nutritional dual burden in Indigenous young men and women in the Northern Territory. Additionally, we examine the impact geographical area has on these rates.

Design

Cross‐sectional data obtained from the longitudinal Aboriginal Birth Cohort Study.

Setting

Participants residing in over 40 urban and remote communities across the Top End of the Northern Territory.

Participants

Young adults aged 23–28 years; urban (n = 99) and remote (n = 316).

Main outcome measure(s)

Anthropometric data was directly collected using standardised methods. Underweight was defined as BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2 and overweight/obese as body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2. Remote residency was categorised by established shires/regions (Vic/Daly, Arnhem and Tiwi).

Results

Significantly higher levels of underweight were seen in remote participants, compared to urban participants, irrespective of sex. Further differences were seen by regions, with the highest rates seen in Vic/Daly, compared to Arnhem and Tiwi. Higher rates of overweight/obesity were found in urban participants, compared to remote. The levels of overweight/obesity varied, depending on region of residence.

Conclusion

Underweight and overweight patterns coexist in Indigenous young adults, with variation across geographical regions. Health programs need to take this dual nutritional burden into consideration to avoid worsening the severity of underweight, whilst reducing levels of overweight.
Ureteric implantation into the bowel portion of augmented bladders during kidney transplantation: a review of urological complications and outcomes
Authors: Tan Lynnette R. L. , Tiong Ho Yee
Published: January 2019

Background

In patients with bladder augmentation undergoing kidney transplantation, conventional technique recommends anastomosing the transplanted ureter to the bladder. We report our technique of ureteric implantation into the bowel portion of the enterocystoplasty, and review the urological outcomes of transplantation in these patients.

Methods

Seven patients (mean age: 26 years (range 24–54 years), two females, five deceased donors) with augmented cystoplasty and subsequent kidney transplantation by a single surgeon from 2011 to 2015 were reviewed. Following standard vascular anastomosis and reperfusion of the transplanted kidney, ureteric implantation involved continuous 5/0 polydiaoxanone anastomosis between the spatulated ureter and full thickness bowel portion of the cystoplasty over a 6‐Fr double J stent. A second peri‐anastomosis layer of bowel plication was performed to prevent reflux using interrupted 3/0 vicryl sutures. Short‐term urological and kidney function outcomes were evaluated.

Results

Causes of renal failure included: posterior urethral valve with reflux nephropathy (two patients), bilateral vesicoureteric reflux (two patients), lumbosacral agenesis with neurogenic bladder (one patient), tuberculosis of the urinary tract with post‐infective ureteric stricture (one patient), and lupus nephritis (one patient). Bladder reconstruction was performed at median duration of 103 months (35–171 months) before transplantation. Gastrocystoplasty was performed in two patients while colon and/or ileum were used in the remaining six. After transplantation, all reconstructed bladders except one had a Mitrofanoff for clean intermittent self‐catheterization, 5–8 times per day. There were no post‐operative ureteric/surgical complications. Delayed graft function occurred in three of seven patients. 30‐day asymptomatic bacteriuria rate was three out of seven after stent removal. 1‐year post‐transplantation, patient and graft survival were 100%. Mean serum creatinine was 142.7 (standard deviation: 51.48). Median number of hospital admissions for urinary tract infections was 0.225 (range 0–0.40). Over a median follow‐up period of 4 years (2–7 years), one graft failed from acute T‐cell‐mediated rejection. This patient passed away from cardio‐respiratory collapse after a seizure, 35 months post‐transplantation. As of June 2018, the other six kidney grafts were functioning. No complications including calculi formation and/or malignancy were reported.

Conclusion

In patients with previously augmented bladders now undergoing kidney transplantation, ureteric implantation into the bowel portion of the cystoplasty appears to be safe.
Collagenase injections for Dupuytren's contracture: prospective cohort study in a public health setting
Authors: Fletcher Jason , Tan Ezekiel S. L. , Thomas Michael , Taylor Fraser , Elliott Devlin , Bindra Randy
Published: January 2019

Background

Dupuytren's disease causes a flexion contracture of the hand that limits hand function and reduces quality of life. Traditional management is surgical excision which is associated with potentially serious complications. A viable alternative is collagenase Clostridium histolyticum (CCH) (Xiaflex®; Pfizer Australia) which is an effective, safe, outpatient treatment that to date has no published data in the Australian public health setting.

Methods

A prospective cohort, single centre study, enrolling 54 patients to treat 81 joints with CCH. Patients received a single dose to the cord followed by joint manipulation 48 h later. Primary endpoint was reduction in contracture to 0 to 5° of full extension assessed 4 weeks after injection. Secondary endpoints included range of motion, patient satisfaction and function as measured by the Southampton Dupuytren's Scoring Scheme (SDSS).

Results

Primary endpoint was achieved in 48% of joints (66% metacarpophalangeal and 19% proximal interphalangeal). Mean flexion contracture improved by 40o and 25o for metacarpophalangeal and proximal interphalangeal joints, respectively. Mean active range of motion improved by 39o and 18o, respectively. At 30 days and 12 months, SDSS score demonstrated sustained improvement versus baseline (1.88 versus 8.24 P ≤ 0.0005 and 1.59 versus 8.07 P ≤ 0.0005). Sixty‐eight percent of patients were either very satisfied or satisfied at 12‐month follow‐up. Side effects of treatment were minor; with oedema and bruising the most common (87% and 85%, respectively).

Conclusion

CCH injections are a viable treatment for Dupuytren's contracture in the Australian public health setting.
Surgical treatment of liver metastases from kidney cancer: a systematic review
Authors: Pinotti Enrico , Montuori Mauro , Giani Alessandro , Uggeri Fabio , Garancini Mattia , Gianotti Luca , Romano Fabrizio
Published: January 2019

Background

Liver metastases are present in 20.3% of metastatic kidney cancers. The aim of this literature review was to assess the efficacy of surgical treatment for hepatic metastasis from kidney cancer.

Methods

An extended web search of the literature was independently performed in March 2018 by two authors according to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) statement.

Results

Through electronic searches, we identified 935 potentially relevant citations. Thirteen articles were finally included in the systematic review. Median survival after resection ranged from 15 to 142 months while the 1‐, 3‐ and 5‐year overall survival ranged from 69% to 100%, 26% to 83.3% and 0% to 62%, respectively. Median disease‐free survival ranged from 7.2 to 27 months.

Conclusion

Surgical treatment of hepatic metastases is performed in approximately 1% of patients with liver metastases and in select patients may be potentially curative. Surgical resection of liver metastases from kidney cancer represents a valid option for selected patients with metastatic renal cancer.
Evaluation of website information provided by paediatric surgery centres in Australia and New Zealand
Authors: Meiyappan Vivek , Little Timothy A. , Jackson Paul
Published: January 2019

Background

Hospital websites are an important source of information for patients, parents and healthcare providers. There are currently no standardized recommendations for the information provided on paediatric surgery websites. We aimed to assess the information available on each hospital website, in Australia and New Zealand, which provides paediatric surgical care.

Methods

Google search was performed of the 16 paediatric surgical centres in Australia and New Zealand to determine whether they had a hospital website and to assess its contents. The presence of patient fact sheets and clinical practice guidelines was recorded. Access to contact information, hospital Facebook page and Twitter handles were noted.

Results

We found that 11 (69%) centres had a specific paediatric surgical section to the hospital website, all provided contact information. Five centres (31%) had paediatric‐specific guidelines available for health professionals. Six websites (37.5%) provided health information sheets on common paediatric surgical conditions. Facebook and Twitter facilities were present on the majority of the websites (75%).

Conclusion

The internet presence of paediatric surgery in Australia and New Zealand is sparse. One‐third of centres do not have hospital web presence. The availability of clinical guidelines and patient information sheets on hospital websites is limited. Our findings would suggest that improvement and increase in the internet presence of paediatric surgery in Australia and New Zealand is needed.
Does knee position during wound closure alter patella height following total knee arthroplasty?
Authors: Clark Shane , Tee Lawrence , Sutherland Alasdair
Published: January 2019

Background

Patella infera is a known complication of total knee arthroplasty, and the method of soft tissue closure is a possible contributing factor. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of knee position during surgical closure of capsule, subcutaneous tissue and skin on patella tendon length after total knee arthroplasty.

Methods

A three arm retrospective cohort study was conducted in a single institution over a 3‐year period; 75 patients were divided, by surgeon preference, into three groups (Flexed, Extended and Hybrid) of 25 patients. All groups had standardized prosthesis, intraoperative and postoperative protocols, and differed in knee position at closure. Patellar tendon length was assessed radiologically using Insall Salvati ratio (ISR) and modified Insall Salvati ratio, with a 12‐month follow‐up. Intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess intraobserver variability.

Results

There was a small but significant difference in preoperative to initial postoperative ISR change between Flexed and Extended groups (Extended group mean ISR change = −0.05; t = −2.31, P = 0.025, independent samples t‐test), which was not sustained at 12 months. The incidence of patella infera was similar in Flexed and Extended groups at 12 months with only one case seen in the Hybrid group.

Conclusion

Our study suggests that knee position during soft tissue closure does not have a sustained impact on patella tendon length after knee replacement. A small but statistically significant reduction in patella height was found in the Extended group initially after surgery but this effect was not sustained at 12 months.
Selective versus standard cerebro‐myocardial perfusion in neonates undergoing aortic arch repair: A multi‐center study
Authors: Luciani Giovanni Battista , Hoxha Stiljan , Angeli Emanuela , Petridis Francesco , Careddu Lucio , Rungatscher Alessio , Caputo Massimo , Gargiulo Gaetano
Published: January 2019

The results of neonatal aortic arch surgery using cerebro‐myocardial perfusion were analyzed. Selective cerebral and myocardial perfusion, using two separate pump rotors, was compared with standard perfusion, using a single pump rotor with an arterial line Y‐connector. Between May 2008 and May 2016, 69 consecutive neonates underwent arch repair using either selective cerebro‐myocardial perfusion (Group A, n = 34) or standard perfusion (Group B, n = 35). The groups were similar for age, weight, BSA, prevalence of one‐stage or staged repair, and single ventricle palliation; male gender was more frequent in Group A. The duration of the cerebro‐myocardial perfusion was comparable (27 ± 8 vs. 28 ± 7 min, P = 0.9), with higher flows in Group A (57 ± 27 vs. 39 ± 19 mL/kg/min, P = 0.01). Although cardioplegic arrest was more common in Group B (13/34 vs. 23/35, P = 0.03), the duration of myocardial ischemia was longer in Group A (64 ± 41 vs. 44 ± 14 min, P = 0.04). There was 1 hospital death in each group, with no permanent neurological injury in either group. Cardiac morbidity (1/34 vs. 7/35, P = 0.02) was more common in Group B, while extracardiac morbidity was similar in both the groups. During follow‐up (3.2 ± 2.4 years), 5 late deaths occurred with a comparable 5‐year survival rate (75 ± 17% vs. 88 ± 6%, P = 0.7) and freedom from arch reintervention (86 ± 6% vs. 84 ± 7%, P = 0.6). Risk of cardiac morbidity was greater with standard cerebro‐myocardial perfusion (OR = 5.2, CI 3.3–6.8, P = 0.001) and with perfusion flows less than 50 mL/kg/min (OR 3.7, CI 1.87–5.95, P = 0.04). Cerebro‐myocardial perfusion is a safe and effective strategy to protect the brain and heart in neonates undergoing arch repair. Selective techniques using higher perfusion flows may further attenuate cardiac morbidity.
Lifestyle factors during acute Epstein–Barr virus infection in adolescents predict physical activity six months later
Authors: Pedersen Maria , Asprusten Tarjei Tørre , Godang Kristin , Leegaard Truls Michael , Osnes Liv Toril , Skovlund Eva , Tjade Trygve , Øie Merete Glenne , Wyller Vegard Bruun Bratholm
Published: January 2019

Aim

Acute Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection is a trigger of prolonged fatigue. This study investigated baseline predictors of physical activity six months after an acute EBV infection.

Methods

A total of 200 adolescents (12–20 years old) with acute EBV infection were assessed for 149 possible baseline predictors and followed prospectively. In this exploratory study, we performed linear regression analysis to assess possible associations between baseline predictors and steps per day at six months.

Results

In the final multiple linear regression model, physical activity six months after acute EBV infection was significantly and independently predicted by baseline physical activity (steps per day), substance use (alcohol and illicit drugs) and human growth hormone (adjusted R2 = 0.20).

Conclusion

Baseline physical activity, substance use and plasma growth hormone are independent predictors of physical activity six months after an acute EBV infection in adolescents, whereas markers of the infection and associated immune response do not seem to be associated with physical activity six months later.
Two Spoken Word Poems: Brexit/Grenfell
Authors: Mckennell Marika
Published: January 2019

‘Leave’ is an attempt to find a creative catharsis for confusion and melancholia engendered by the Brexit vote in 2016. The poem is from the first person perspective of a leave voter, an effort to understand the ‘other’. ‘A poem for Grenfell Tower’ is an outpouring of emotion free‐written from a place of rage and despair on the day after the horrific fire in 2017.
The efficacy of micro‐insulated needle radiofrequency system for the treatment of lower eyelid fat bulging
Authors: Shin Jung‐Won , Park Jung‐Tae , Chae Je‐Byeong , Choi Ji‐Young , Na Jung‐Im , Park Kyoung‐Chan , Huh Chang‐Hun
Published: January 2019

Background and objectives

Conventional treatment options for eyelid fat bulging are generally limited to surgical approaches. However, many attempts have been made recently to manage this disfigurement using non‐surgical interventions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a micro‐insulated needle radiofrequency system for the treatment of lower eyelid fat bulging.

Methods

This is a single center pre‐post comparative study. Twenty‐two subjects with lower eyelid fat bulging were treated twice using the needle radiofrequency system, at an interval of four weeks. Two types of partially insulated needles with different lengths were used in each session. A three‐dimensional photogrammetry system was used to objectively measure changes in the extent of the fat bulge. The investigator's global assessment (IGA) of the severity of fat bulging was also evaluated.

Results

The average extent of fat bulging was decreased significantly after twelve weeks, and was maintained until 24 weeks. The IGA score was significantly decreased after four weeks and further decreased after twelve weeks, and then maintained until 24 weeks. There were no side effects, except for lower eyelid swelling and bruising that lasted for about a week.

Conclusion

The micro‐insulated needle radiofrequency system can be a beneficial and well‐tolerated treatment for lower eyelid fat bulging.
Prenatal diagnosis of caudal regression with heterotaxy syndrome: “A mermaid with a broken heart”
Authors: Zhang Yanhong , Sun Congxin , Jiang Caixia , Zhao Wei , Wang Weijing , Cao Qingying , Ge Shuping
Published: January 2019

Caudal regression syndrome (CRS) is a rare congenital malformation with varying degrees of early gestational developmental failure. It is characterized by agenesis of the sacrum and lumbar spine, with lower limb neurological deficit and accompanying deformities of the pelvis, lower extremities, genitourinary, and gastrointestinal systems. We report a case of CRS associated with rare complex congenital heart defect, that is, heterotaxy syndrome, diagnosed prenatally.
Lifelong learning among older professionals: How competence strategies and perceptions of professional learning affect pastors’ participation
Authors: Carlsten Tone Cecilie , Olsen Dorothy Sutherland
Published: January 2019

One of the challenges of keeping older employees up to date and ensuring their continued involvement in the workplace is to provide them with relevant learning opportunities. This article aims to understand the usefulness of the concept of LLL for a group of older employees (50+). This is done using interviews and a document study on the Church of Norway (CofN) to understand how the concept of LLL is interpreted and acted upon by employers and older pastors. We assume that changes occurring outside the Church provoke the need for new knowledge and new ways of working. We ask how these older professionals perceive their learning opportunities and try to ascertain how the concept of LLL is helping them to tackle the ongoing changes. The article adds to the research on the interplay between competence strategies of employers and attitudes of older employees in a well‐established profession. Results of our study show that new strategies open up for greater participation. However, older pastors’ greatest motivation for learning seems to be their ordination vows, which include a commitment to continued learning through personal studies. This influences the kind of activities in which they participate, their expectations concerning the recognition of their learning and their views on the Church as a learning organisation. We conclude that older pastors do benefit from LLL initiatives in the workplace, but they also benefit from belonging to a profession with a conscious commitment to learning.