bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Impact of comorbid cannabis use on outcome in first episode psychosis
Authors: Hadden Kellie L. , LeDrew Kellie , Hogan Kevin , Thomas Barbara
Published: September 2016

Aim

Comorbid cannabis abuse is common in patients with early psychosis. Little is known about the effect of stopping cannabis use on positive, negative and depressive symptoms. Few studies have controlled for multiple substance use that may mask the specific role that cannabis plays in symptom outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate whether course and level of cannabis use negatively impacted early psychosis patient symptom profiles (positive, negative and depressive symptoms) over 24 months.

Methods

One hundred and ninety‐two patients admitted to an early psychosis intervention programme in a naturalistic setting were followed across three time periods: initial presentation, 12 and 24 months. Patients’ clinical characteristics (substance use, positive/negative symptoms and depressive symptoms) were assessed at each time period.

Results

There were no significant associations found between cannabis abuse and positive and negative symptoms. Continuation and discontinuation of cannabis use were not significant for cannabis or any other substance when compared to positive and negative symptoms. There was a significant interaction between cannabis and alcohol for depressive symptoms, where depressive symptoms were significantly higher in patients who abused cannabis without co‐occurring alcohol abuse when compared to non‐cannabis using patients.

Conclusion

The current study findings indicate a complex interaction between cannabis and alcohol use in a sample of early psychosis patients across 24 months. More research is needed into the association between ceasing cannabis use and long‐term outcome for early psychosis patients. Of particular importance is the interaction between level of cannabis and alcohol use as it is related to symptom outcome in early psychosis patients.
Postures of Empowerment: Cultivating Aspirant Feminism in a Ugandan NGO
Authors: Moore Erin V.
Published: September 2016

The Kampala Programme for Empowering Girls, a Ugandan NGO, is part of a much larger transnational movement that aims to psychologically, economically, and politically empower adolescent girls around the world. Global girls’ empowerment advocates draw from the convergence of two lines of research: long‐standing demographic studies that correlate girls’ schooling with fewer and healthier pregnancies and western developmental psychology's concern with the adolescent girl's presumed crisis of self‐esteem. Yet, as anthropologists have long shown, the ways people grow up are culturally and historically specific. In order to “empower” young women in urban Uganda, the internationally educated, elite women running the NGO had to persuade their participants to articulate low self‐esteem, even as these young women claimed complete confidence. To do so, elite NGO officers entwined explicit feminist pedagogy with tastes for foreign foods, fashion, and travel, cultivating what I call “aspirant feminism”—a desire for membership in the transnational feminist movement because it offers pathways to social mobility that are both desirable and difficult to obtain for young Ugandan women. Paradoxically, the workshop became both the grounds for developing new aspirational capacities as well as an arena for the reproduction of class difference.
How Do Children Become Workers? Making Sense of Conflicting Accounts of Cultural Transmission in Anthropology and Psychology
Authors: Little Christopher A. J. L. , Lancy David F.
Published: September 2016

This article uses children's work as a lens to examine methodological concerns in the study of cultural transmission. At present, scholars remain divided between two positions with regards to the processes of cultural transmission. The first perspective places the burden of skill acquisition on the child who “picks up” skills and ideas through exploration, observation, imitation, play, interaction with peers, participation with others in carrying out routine tasks, and other voluntary, self‐initiated activities. A second position assigns great importance to parents as teachers who transmit essential skills and knowledge to their children. We illustrate that this debate may not be strictly empirical. Instead, these perspectives emerge from the contrasting methodologies that are largely associated with different disciplines: interviews in psychology and ethnography in anthropology. Drawing upon a review of the literature as well as a case study concerning the Asabano of Papua New Guinea, this article problematizes the sole reliance upon decontextualized self report data. Instead, we call for interviews to be situated within an ethnographic framework which not only involves observation, but also considers local models of cultural transmission, local communicative practices, and sociocultural change.
Semi‐automated International Cartilage Repair Society scoring of equine articular cartilage lesions in optical coherence tomography images
Authors: te Moller N. C. R. , Pitkänen M. , Sarin J. K. , Väänänen S. , Liukkonen J. , Afara I. O. , Puhakka P. H. , Brommer H. , Niemelä T. , Tulamo R.‐M. , Argüelles Capilla D. , Töyräs J.
Published: September 2016

Background

Arthroscopic optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a promising tool for the detailed evaluation of articular cartilage injuries. However, OCT‐based articular cartilage scoring still relies on the operator's visual estimation.

Objectives

To test the hypothesis that semi‐automated International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) scoring of chondral lesions seen in OCT images could enhance intra‐ and interobserver agreement of scoring and its accuracy.

Study design

Validation study using equine cadaver tissue.

Methods

Osteochondral samples (n = 99) were prepared from 18 equine metacarpophalangeal joints and imaged using OCT. Custom‐made software was developed for semi‐automated ICRS scoring of cartilage lesions on OCT images. Scoring was performed visually and semi‐automatically by five observers, and levels of inter‐ and intraobserver agreement were calculated. Subsequently, OCT‐based scores were compared with ICRS scores based on light microscopy images of the histological sections of matching locations (n = 82).

Results

When semi‐automated scoring of the OCT images was performed by multiple observers, mean levels of intraobserver and interobserver agreement were higher than those achieved with visual OCT scoring (83% vs. 77% and 74% vs. 33%, respectively). Histology‐based scores from matching regions of interest agreed better with visual OCT‐based scoring than with semi‐automated OCT scoring; however, the accuracy of the software was improved by optimising the threshold combinations used to determine the ICRS score.

Main limitations

Images were obtained from cadavers.

Conclusions

Semi‐automated scoring software improved the reproducibility of ICRS scoring of chondral lesions in OCT images and made scoring less observer‐dependent. The image analysis and segmentation techniques adopted in this study warrant further optimisation to achieve better accuracy with semi‐automated ICRS scoring. In addition, studies on in vivo applications are required.
Lessons from the macroinvertebrates: species‐genetic diversity correlations highlight important dissimilar relationships
Authors: Seymour Mathew , Seppälä Katri , Mächler Elvira , Altermatt Florian
Published: September 2016

Species and genetic diversity patterns are predicted to co‐vary due to similar mechanistic processes. Previous studies assessing species and genetic diversity correlations (SGDCs) have focused primarily on local diversity patterns or island‐like systems and ignore the underlying dispersal network. Here we assessed local and regional SGDCs using freshwater macroinvertebrates sampled across the Rhine river network, a spatially large and highly connected system, in Switzerland.

We utilised a set of polymorphic microsatellite markers to assess the genetic diversity of two amphipod species of the Gammarus fossarum complex, which were compared to species level diversities of Amphipoda, Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Trichoptera and family level macroinvertebrate diversity across 217 randomly selected sites. All sites were selected based on a representative and standardised species‐sampling scheme. We analysed within site (α‐SGDC) and between‐site SGDC (β‐SGDC).

Against our expectation, we generally found negative or null α‐SGDCs and β‐SGDCs. However, we did find genetic diversity to be spatially structured, whereas species richness was related to local environmental factors.

These findings suggest that the genetic and species levels of diversity observed are driven by different mechanisms (e.g., environment versus demography), or operate across different temporal or spatial scales (e.g., colonisation history or dendritic river network structure), and may be attributed to differences in the species' ecology or life history. Overall, conservation measures in riverine systems aiming at only one level of diversity may not necessarily benefit other levels of diversity.
Variation in mothers' arginine vasopressin receptor 1a and dopamine receptor D4 genes predicts maternal sensitivity via social cognition
Authors: Leerkes E. M. , Su J. , Calkins S. , Henrich V. C. , Smolen A.
Published: September 2016

We examined the extent to which the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) and dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) were related to sensitive maternal behavior directly or indirectly via maternal social cognition. Participants were 207 (105 European‐American and 102 African‐American) mothers and their children (52% females). Sensitive maternal behavior was rated and aggregated across a series of tasks when infants were 6 months, 1 year and 2 years old. At 6 months, mothers were interviewed about their empathy, attributions about infant behavior and beliefs about crying to assess their parenting‐related social cognition. Mothers with long alleles for AVPR1a and DRD4 engaged in more mother‐oriented social cognition (i.e. negative attributions and beliefs about their infants' crying, β = 0.13, P < 0.05 and β = 0.16, P < 0.05, respectively), which in turn predicted less sensitive maternal behavior (β = −0.23, P < 0.01). Both indirect effects were statistically significant independent of one another and covariates [95% confidence interval (CI): −0.22, −0.03 and β = −0.03 for AVPR; 95% CI: −0.20, −0.03 and β = −0.04 for DRD4]. There were no significant direct effects of AVPR1a or DRD4 on maternal sensitivity (β = 0.02, P = .73 and β = −0.10, P = .57, respectively). The results did not vary for African‐American and European‐American mothers (Δχ2 = 18.76, Δdf = 16, P = 0.28). Results support the view that one mechanism by which maternal genes are associated with parental behavior is via social cognition.
Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 plays a crucial role in hepatic lipid metabolism through regulation of CD36 expression
Authors: Hosui Atsushi , Tatsumi Tomohide , Hikita Hayato , Saito Yoshinobu , Hiramatsu Naoki , Tsujii Masahiko , Hennighausen Lothar , Takehara Tetsuo
Published: September 2016

Aim

Liver‐specific signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)5‐deficient mice (STAT5KO) show lipid accumulation in the liver. We investigated the role of hepatic STAT5 in lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo.

Methods and Results

High expression of CD36, one of the receptors for free fatty acids, is associated with a high concentration of hepatic triglyceride (TG) in STAT5KO mice. Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor (PPAR)γ, one of the regulatory factors of CD36, was upregulated and microRNA (miR)‐20b was downregulated in STAT5KO mice. Reporter assays revealed direct regulation involving miR‐20b and the 3′‐untranslated region of CD36 mRNA. Treatment with free fatty acids enhanced accumulation of TG in STAT5‐deleted hepatoma cells, and this was partially canceled by introduction of siRNA for PPARγ and/or pre‐miR‐20b through inhibition of CD36 expression. In vivo, STAT5/CD36 double knockout mice displayed hepatic TG was decreased compared to STAT5KO mice and it was also reduced by treatment with PPARγ antagonists, GW9662, and/or pre‐miR‐20b.

Conclusions

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 plays an important role in hepatic fat metabolism through regulation of CD36, and is a potential therapeutic candidate for liver steatosis.
Ultra‐deep sequencing analysis of resistance‐associated variants during retreatment with simeprevir‐based triple therapy after failure of telaprevir‐based triple therapy in patients with genotype 1 hepatitis C virus infection
Authors: Morishita Naoki , Hiramatsu Naoki , Oze Tsugiko , Urabe Ayako , Tahata Yuki , Yamada Ryoko , Yakushijin Takayuki , Hosui Atsushi , Iio Sadaharu , Yamada Akira , Hagiwara Hideki , Mita Eiji , Yamada Yukinori , Ito Toshifumi , Inada Masami , Katayama Kazuhiro , Yabuuchi Iwao , Imai Yasuharu , Hikita Hayato , Sakamori Ryotaro , Yoshida Yuichi , Tatsumi Tomohide , Hayashi Norio , Takehara Tetsuo
Published: September 2016

Aim

Simeprevir (SMV)‐based triple therapy is an effective retreatment option following failure of telaprevir (TVR)‐based triple therapy. However, it is unclear whether the persistence of resistance‐associated variants (RAVs) induced by TVR‐based therapy may reduce the treatment effect of SMV‐based therapy.

Methods

The factors associated with the treatment effect, including RAVs in the NS3 region, were examined in 21 patients with genotype 1b HCV infection who were treated with SMV‐based therapy after failure of TVR‐based therapy. Ultra‐deep sequencing was carried out to detect RAVs.

Results

With the exception of one patient who discontinued treatment owing to adverse events, the sustained virologic response (SVR) rate was 50% (10/20). Ultra‐deep sequencing at the start of SMV‐based therapy revealed that TVR‐resistant variants were detected in six patients (29%), and no variants were observed at position 168. Cross‐resistance between TVR and SMV with low frequency was detected in only one patient, and this patient achieved SVR. Higher SVRs for SMV‐based therapy were attained in patients who discontinued treatment owing to the adverse effects of prior TVR‐based therapy (discontinuation 100% vs. non‐discontinuation 29%, P = 0.005), and patients who relapsed following prior pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy (relapse 100% vs. non‐response 20%, P = 0.007).

Conclusions

In this study, ultra‐deep sequencing analysis revealed that TVR and/or SMV‐resistant variants may have no influence on the effect of SMV‐based therapy after failure of TVR‐based therapy. Patients who discontinued treatment owing to adverse effects of TVR‐based therapy and relapsers to previous pegylated interferon/ribavirin therapy would be good candidates for retreatment with SMV‐based therapy.
Life expectancy of HIV‐positive people after starting combination antiretroviral therapy: a meta‐analysis
Authors: Teeraananchai S , Kerr SJ , Amin J , Ruxrungtham K , Law MG
Published: September 2016

Objectives

Life expectancy is an important indicator informing decision making in policies relating to HIV‐infected people. Studies estimating life expectancy after starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) have noted differences between income regions. The objective of our study was to perform a meta‐analysis to assess life expectancy of HIV‐positive people after starting cART, and to quantify differences between low/middle‐ and high‐income countries.

Methods

Eight cohort studies estimating life expectancy in HIV‐positive people initiating cART aged ≥ 14 years using the abridged life table method were identified. Random effects meta‐analysis was used to pool estimated outcomes, overall and by income region. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed with the I2 statistic. We estimated additional years of life expected after starting cART at ages 20 and 35 years.

Results

Overall life expectancy in high‐income countries was an additional 43.3 years [95% confidence interval (CI) 42.5–44.2 years] and 32.2 years (95% CI 30.9–33.5 years) at ages 20 and 35 years, respectively, and 28.3 (95% CI 23.3–33.3) and 25.6 (95% CI 22.1–29.2) additional years, respectively, in low/middle‐income countries. In low/middle‐income countries, life expectancy after starting cART at age 20 years was an additional 22.9 years (95% CI 18.4–27.5 years) for men and 33.0 years (95% CI 30.4–35.6 years) for women, but was similar in the two sexes in high‐income countries. In all income regions, life expectancy after starting cART increased over calendar time.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that the life expectancy of HIV‐positive people after starting cART has improved over time. Monitoring life expectancy into the future is important to assess how changes to cART guidelines will affect patient long‐term outcomes.
Label‐free Raman spectroscopic imaging to extract morphological and chemical information from a formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded rat colon tissue section
Authors: Gaifulina Riana , Maher Andrew Thomas , Kendall Catherine , Nelson James , Rodriguez‐Justo Manuel , Lau Katherine , Thomas Geraint Mark
Published: September 2016

Animal models and archived human biobank tissues are useful resources for research in disease development, diagnostics and therapeutics. For the preservation of microscopic anatomical features and to facilitate long‐term storage, a majority of tissue samples are denatured by the chemical treatments required for fixation, paraffin embedding and subsequent deparaffinization. These aggressive chemical processes are thought to modify the biochemical composition of the sample and potentially compromise reliable spectroscopic examination useful for the diagnosis or biomarking. As a result, spectroscopy is often conducted on fresh/frozen samples. In this study, we provide an extensive characterization of the biochemical signals remaining in processed samples (formalin fixation and paraffin embedding, FFPE) and especially those originating from the anatomical layers of a healthy rat colon. The application of chemometric analytical methods (unsupervised and supervised) was shown to eliminate the need for tissue staining and easily revealed microscopic features consistent with goblet cells and the dense populations of cells within the mucosa, principally via strong nucleic acid signals. We were also able to identify the collagenous submucosa‐ and serosa‐ as well as the muscle‐associated signals from the muscular regions and blood vessels. Applying linear regression analysis to the data, we were able to corroborate this initial assignment of cell and tissue types by confirming the biological origin of each layer by reference to a subset of authentic biomolecular standards. Our results demonstrate the potential of using label‐free Raman microspectroscopy to obtain superior imaging contrast in FFPE sections when compared directly to conventional haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining.
J Waves Are Associated With the Increased Occurrence of Life‐Threatening Ventricular Tachyarrhythmia in Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy
Authors: NARUSE YOSHIHISA , NOGAMI AKIHIKO , SHINODA YASUTOSHI , HANAKI YUICHI , SHIRAI YASUHIRO , KOWASE SHINYA , KUROSAKI KENJI , MACHINO TAKESHI , KUROKI KENJI , YAMASAKI HIRO , IGARASHI MIYAKO , SEKIGUCHI YUKIO , AONUMA KAZUTAKA
Published: September 2016

J Wave and VT/VF of Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy

Introduction

Recent studies showed that J waves were associated with higher incidence of ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VT/VF) in patients with idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (VF) and myocardial infarction. We sought to assess the association between J waves and VT/VF in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM).

Methods and Results

We retrospectively enrolled 109 patients (79 men; mean age, 60 ± 15 years) with NICM who underwent implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. The primary endpoint of this study was the occurrence of appropriate device therapy due to sustained VT/VF. The J wave was electrocardiographically defined as an elevation of the terminal portion of the QRS complex of >0.1 mV in at least 2 contiguous inferior or lateral leads. Among the 109 patients, 37 (34%) experienced an episode of appropriate device therapy during a median follow‐up period of 25.9 (IQR 11.5–54.3) months. Kaplan‐Meier curves showed that the presence of J waves on the 12‐lead ECG obtained before device implantation was associated with an increased occurrence of appropriate device therapy (P < 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional regression analysis revealed that the presence of J waves (HR 2.95; 95% CI 1.31–6.64; P = 0.009) was an independent predictor for the occurrence of appropriate device therapy. In the subgroup analysis of the patients with dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, J wave tended to increase the occurrence of appropriate device therapy (P = 0.056 and P = 0.092, respectively).

Conclusions

The presence of J waves was an independent predictor for the occurrence of appropriate device therapy in patients with NICM who underwent ICD implantation.
Effect of nitric oxide deficiency on the pulmonary PTHrP system
Authors: Brockhoff Bastian , Schreckenberg Rolf , Forst Svenja , Heger Jacqueline , Bencsik Péter , Kiss Krisztina , Ferdinandy Peter , Schulz Rainer , Schlüter Klaus‐Dieter
Published: September 2016

Nitric oxide (NO) deficiency is common in pulmonary diseases, but its effect on pulmonary remodelling is still controversial. As pulmonary parathyroid hormone‐related protein (PTHrP) expression is a key regulator of pulmonary fibrosis and development, the effect of chronic NO deficiency on the pulmonary PTHrP system and its relationship with oxidative stress was addressed. NO bioavailability in adult rats was reduced by systemic administration of L‐NAME via tap water. To clarify the role of NO synthase (NOS)‐3‐derived NO on pulmonary expression of PTHrP, NOS‐3‐deficient mice were used. Captopril and hydralazine were used to reduce the hypertensive effect of L‐NAME treatment and to interfere with the pulmonary renin‐angiotensin system (RAS). Quantitative RT‐PCR and immunoblot techniques were used to characterize the expression of key proteins involved in pulmonary remodelling. L‐NAME administration significantly reduced pulmonary NO concentration and caused oxidative stress as characterized by increased pulmonary nitrite concentration and increased expression of NOX2, p47phox and p67phox. Furthermore, L‐NAME induced the pulmonary expression of PTHrP and of its corresponding receptor, PTH‐1R. Expression of PTHrP and PTH‐1R correlated with the expression of two well‐established PTHrP downstream targets, ADRP and PPARγ, suggesting an activation of the pulmonary PTHrP system by NO deficiency. Captopril reduced the expression of PTHrP, profibrotic markers and ornithine decarboxylase, but neither that of PTH‐1R nor that of ADRP and PPARγ. All transcriptional changes were confirmed in NOS‐3‐deficient mice. In conclusion, NOS‐3‐derived NO suppresses pulmonary PTHrP and PTH‐1R expression, thereby modifying pulmonary remodelling.
Adapting clinical guidelines in low‐resources countries: a study on the guideline on the management and prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Indonesia
Authors: Widyahening Indah S. , Wangge Grace , van der Graaf Yolanda , van der Heijden Geert J. M. G.
Published: September 2016

Rationale, aims and objectives

Most of the clinical guidelines in low‐resource countries are adaptations from preexisting international guidelines. This adaptation can be problematic when those international guidelines are not based on current evidence or original evidence‐based international guidelines are not followed. This study aims to evaluate the quality of an Indonesian type 2 diabetes mellitus guideline adapted from selected international guidelines.

Methods

The “Consensus on the Management and Prevention of type 2 Diabetes in Indonesia 2011” is a guideline by the Indonesian Society of Endocrinology (Perkeni). Four parent guidelines identified from its list of references were from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist (AACE), American Diabetes Association (ADA), and one jointly released by ADA and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). Two reviewers independently assessed its quality using the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation Collaboration (AGREE II) instrument. Six recommendations were compared: (1) screening for diabetes; (2) diagnosis; (3) control of hyperglycemia; (4) target blood glucose; (5) target blood pressure; and (6) treatment of dyslipidemia.

Results

Perkeni's guideline satisfied 55% of the AGREE II items, while its parent guidelines satisfied 59% to 74%. Perkeni's shows low score on “rigor of development” and “applicability” and the lowest score in the “scope and purpose” domain. Differences were found in 4 recommendations: the screening of diabetes, control of hyperglycemia, target blood glucose, and treatment of dyslipidemia. In 3 of 4, Perkeni followed the ADA's recommendation.

Conclusion

Derivation of recommendations from parent guidelines and their adaptation to the context of Indonesian health care lacks transparency. When guidelines are either derived from other guidelines or adapted for use in different context, evidence‐based practice principles should be followed and adhered to.
Emotional reactivity following surgery to the prefrontal cortex
Authors: Jenkins Lisanne M. , Andrewes David G. , Nicholas Christian L. , Drummond Katharine J. , Moffat Bradford A. , Phal Pramit M. , Desmond Patricia
Published: September 2016

We aimed to elicit emotion in patients with surgically circumscribed lesions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in order to elucidate the precise functional roles in emotion processing of the discrete subregions comprising the ventromedialPFC, including the medialPFCand orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Three components of emotional reactivity were measured: subjective experience, behaviour, and physiological response. These included measures of self‐reported emotion, observer‐rated facial expression of emotion and measurements of heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) during film viewing, and a measure of subjective emotional change since surgery. Patients with lesions to the ventromedialPFCdemonstrated significant differences compared with controls inHRVduring the film clips, suggesting a shift to greater dominance of sympathetic input. In contrast, patients with lesions restricted to theOFCshowed significant differences inHRVsuggesting reduced sympathetic input. They also showed less facial expression of emotion during positive film clips, and reported more subjective emotional change since surgery compared with controls. This human lesion study is important for refining theoretical models of emotion processing by the ventromedialPFC, which until now have primarily been based on anatomical connectivity, animal lesion, and human functional neuroimaging research. Such theories have implications for the treatment of a wide variety of emotional disorders.
Semicoherent Multipopulation Mortality Modeling: The Impact on Longevity Risk Securitization
Authors: Li Johnny Siu‐Hang , Chan Wai‐Sum , Zhou Rui
Published: September 2016

Multipopulation mortality models play an important role in longevity risk transfers involving more than one population. Most of the existing multi‐population mortality models are built on the hypothesis of coherence, which assumes that there always exists a force that brings the mortality differential between any two populations back to a constant long‐term equilibrium level. This hypothesis prevents diverging long‐term forecasts, which do not seem to be biologically reasonable. However, the coherence assumption may be perceived by market participants as too strong and is in fact not always supported by empirical observations. In this article, we introduce a new concept called “semicoherence,” which is less stringent in the sense that it permits the mortality trajectories of two related populations to diverge, as long as the divergence does not exceed a specific tolerance corridor, beyond which mean reversion will come into effect. We further propose to produce semicoherent mortality forecasts by using a vector threshold autoregression. The proposed modeling approach is illustrated with mortality data from U.S. and English and Welsh male populations, and is applied to several pricing and hedging scenarios.
Influenza vaccine efficacy in young children attending childcare: A randomised controlled trial
Authors: Li‐Kim‐Moy Jean P , Yin Jiehui K , Heron Leon , Leask Julie , Lambert Stephen B , Nissen Michael , Sloots Theo , Booy Robert
Published: September 2016

Aim

Influenza causes a substantial burden in young children. Vaccine efficacy (VE) data are limited in this age group. We examined trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV) efficacy and safety in young children attending childcare.

Methods

A double‐blind, randomised controlled trial in children aged 6 to <48 months was conducted with recruitment from Sydney childcare centres in 2011. Children were randomised to receive two doses of TIV or control hepatitis A vaccine. Efficacy was evaluated against polymerase chain reaction‐confirmed influenza using parent‐collected nose/throat swabs during influenza‐like‐illness. Safety outcomes were assessed during 6 months of follow‐up.

Results

Fifty‐seven children were allocated to influenza vaccine and 67 to control; all completed the study. The influenza attack rate was 1.8 vs 13.4% in the TIV and control groups, respectively; VE 87% (95%CI: 0–98%). For children aged 24 to <48 months, 0 vs 8 (18.6%) influenza infections occurred in the TIV and control groups respectively, giving a VE of 100% (16–100%). Efficacy was not shown in children 6 to <24 months, probably due to insufficient power. Injection site and systemic adverse events were mostly mild to moderate with no significant differences, apart from more mild diarrhoea following dose 2 in TIV recipients (11.8 vs 0%).

Conclusions

Influenza vaccine appeared efficacious in the subgroup of children aged 24 to <48 months, although caution is required due to the small number of participants. There were no serious adverse events and most parents would vaccinate again. Influenza vaccination in a childcare setting could be valuable and a larger confirmatory study would be helpful.
The oldest case yet reported of osteoarthritis in a dog: an archaeological and radiological evaluation
Authors: Janssens L. A. A. , Street M. , Miller R. , Hazewinkel H. A.W. , Giemsch L. , Schmitz R.
Published: September 2016

A century ago the remains of a dog skeleton were found in an archaeological double human burial, near Bonn‐Oberkassel (Germany). Recent re‐examination of the dog remains revealed that they were about 14,500 years old. Based on the growth plates, the animal was considered to be approximately 7·5 months old at the time of death. Based on the minimal humeral diameter, it was calculated that it was approximately 0·47 m tall at the shoulder and weighed approximately 15·7 kg. The right proximal ulna of this skeleton showed osteoarthritis, manifested by an osteophyte of 5×3×1·5 mm3 at its cranial edge, with no identified primary developmental causes for osteoarthritis. Osteochondritis dissecans, joint incongruity and trauma are possible aetiologies. The left ulna did not reveal any abnormalities.
Combined effect of pH and heating conditions on the physical properties of Alaska pollock surimi gels
Authors: Lee Myeong Gi , Yoon Won Byong , Park Jae W.
Published: September 2016

Physical properties of Alaska pollock surimi paste were investigated as affected by pH (4.0 and 6.0–10.0) and heating conditions (slow and fast). The highest values of gel strength and deformability, as shown by breaking force and penetration distance, were obtained at pH 7.5–8.0, while the lowest values were at pH 10.0 followed by pH 6.0 and pH 6.5, respectively. Two‐step slow heating process increased the breaking strength value nearly two times higher than one‐step fast heating. The effect of pH was strikingly high at pH 7.5 when gels were prepared using 2‐step heating, indicating the pH dependence of endogenous transglutaminase. However, the highest gel strength was obtained at pH 8.0 when gels were prepared in fast heating. Whiteness value (L − 3b*) increased significantly (p < .05) as pH increased from 6.0 to 6.5, but thereafter decreased significantly (p < .05) as pH increased. L* value (lightness) and b* value (yellowness) continuously decreased as the pH is shifted from 6.0 to 10. Fast heated gels showed the lowest yellowness, resulting in whiter appearance, probably due to the effect of reduced browning reaction.

Practical applications

The uniqueness of this study was to measure the combined effect of pH and heating conditions on the gel texture and color. There were various studies dealing with pH or heating conditions independently. As the primary character for surimi seafood is gel texture and color. The highest values of gel strength and deformability, as shown by breaking force and penetration distance, were obtained at pH 7.5–8.0, while the lowest values were at pH 10.0 followed by pH 6.0 and pH 6.5, respectively. Two‐step slow heating process increased the breaking strength value nearly two times higher than one‐step fast heating. Whiteness value (L − 3b*) increased significantly as pH increased from 6.0 to 6.5, but thereafter decreased significantly as pH increased. L* value (lightness) and b* value (yellowness) continuously decreased as the pH is shifted from 6.0 to 10. Fast heated gels showed the lowest yellowness, resulting in whiter appearance.
Using Evidence in L2 Argumentative Writing: A Longitudinal Case Study Across High School and University
Authors: Kibler Amanda K. , Hardigree Christine
Published: September 2016

This 8‐year longitudinal case study of Fabiola, a Spanish‐English bilingual, investigated her argumentative writing development, focusing on her use of evidence to support and develop arguments over time from high school through university. Data sources included 36 writing samples. Texts across grade levels and course types were analyzed to determine changes in evidential types (quotations and paraphrases), evidential functions, and reporting verbs used to introduce evidence. Interview transcripts were analyzed to identify Fabiola's changing perspectives on use of evidence in argumentative writing. Evidentials were found to vary according to course type, but more dramatic changes (in type, function, and range of reporting verbs used) were found over time as language proficiency and writing expertise developed, providing longitudinal support for other studies that have examined writers at only one point in time.
A wheat COP9 subunit 5‐like gene is negatively involved in host response to leaf rust
Authors: Zhang Hongtao , Wang Xiaojing , Giroux Michael J. , Huang Li
Published: September 2016

The COP9 (constitutive photomorphogenesis 9) signalosome (CSN) is a protein complex involved in the ubiquitin proteasome system and a common host target of diverse pathogens in Arabidopsis. The known derubylation function of the COP9 complex is carried out by subunit 5 encoded by AtCSN5A or AtCSN5B in Arabidopsis. A single CSN5‐like gene (designated as TaCSN5) with three homeologues was identified on the long arms of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) group 2 chromosomes. In this study, we identified and characterized the function of TaCSN5 in response to infection by the leaf rust pathogen. Down‐regulation of all three TaCSN5 homeologues or mutations in the homeologues on chromosomes 2A or 2D resulted in significantly enhanced resistance to leaf rust. Enhanced leaf rust resistance corresponded to a seven‐fold increase in PR1 (pathogenesis‐related gene 1) expression. Collectively, the data indicate that the wheat COP9 subunit 5‐like gene acts as a negative regulator of wheat leaf rust resistance.
Complexity and nationalism
Authors: Kaufmann Eric
Published: September 2016

Classic theories of nationalism, whether modernist or ethnosymbolist, emphasise the role of elites and spread of a common imagined community from centre to periphery. Recent work across a range of disciplines challenges this account by stressing the role of horizontal, peer‐to‐peer, dynamics alongside top‐down flows. Complexity theory, which has recently been applied to the social sciences, expands our understanding of horizontal national dynamics. It draws together contemporary critiques, suggesting that researchers focus on the network properties of nations and nationalism. It stresses that order may emerge from chaos; hence, ‘national’ behaviour may appear without an imagined community. Treating nations like complex systems whose form emerges from below should focus research on four central aspects of complexity: emergence, feedback loops, tipping points and distributed knowledge, or ‘the wisdom of crowds’. This illuminates how national identity can be reproduced by popular activities rather than the state; why nationalist ideas may gestate in small circles for long periods, then suddenly spread; why secession is often contagious; and why wide local variation in the content of national identity strengthens rather than weakens the nation's power to mobilise.
Correlation of whole kidney hypertrophy with glomerular over‐filtration in live, gender‐mismatched renal transplant allografts
Authors: Yanishi Masaaki , Tsukaguchi Hiroyasu , Huan Nguyen Thanh , Koito Yuya , Taniguchi Hisanori , Yoshida Kenji , Mishima Takao , Sugi Motohiko , Kinoshita Hidefumi , Matsuda Tadashi
Published: September 2016

Aim

Optimizing nephron supply to recipient demand is a non‐immunologic determinant of renal allograft outcome. Nephron reduction is usually caused by physical donor‐recipient mismatch, but its pathologic relevance remains to be determined.

Methods

Thirty‐one recipients of living donor renal transplants were divided into three subgroups: those who received transplants from the same gender (n = 6, Group 1) and those who underwent male‐to‐female (n = 8, Group 2) and female‐to‐male (n = 17, Group 3) transplants. Renal mass was evaluated by three‐dimensional computed tomography (3D‐CT) volumetry before and one year after transplantation. Glomerular volume was determined from protocol biopsies obtained one hour and one year after transplantation.

Results

Histologically determined glomerular volume in biopsied tissues showed a significant linear correlation with allograft size on 3D‐CT volumetry (P < 0.001, r = 0.625). Mismatches in body weight, glomerular volume and kidney volume ratios were significantly greater in female‐to‐male (Group 3) than in male‐to‐female (Group 2) transplants (P < 0.001 each). Despite the two groups having nearly equal graft filtration rates one year after transplantation, proteinuria rate was three‐fold higher in Group 3 than in Group 2 (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

These findings suggest that too small graft size, frequent in female‐to‐male transplants, could cause hypertrophy in both kidneys and glomeruli, thereby affecting allograft function and survival.
Nine things to know about elicitins
Authors: Derevnina Lida , Dagdas Yasin F. , De la Concepcion Juan Carlos , Bialas Aleksandra , Kellner Ronny , Petre Benjamin , Domazakis Emmanouil , Du Juan , Wu Chih‐Hang , Lin Xiao , Aguilera‐Galvez Carolina , Cruz‐Mireles Neftaly , Vleeshouwers Vivianne G. A. A. , Kamoun Sophien
Published: September 2016

Elicitins are structurally conserved extracellular proteins in Phytophthora and Pythium oomycete pathogen species. They were first described in the late 1980s as abundant proteins in Phytophthora culture filtrates that have the capacity to elicit hypersensitive (HR) cell death and disease resistance in tobacco. Later, they became well‐established as having features of microbe‐associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) and to elicit defences in a variety of plant species. Research on elicitins culminated in the recent cloning of the elicitin response (ELR) cell surface receptor‐like protein, from the wild potato Solanum microdontum, which mediates response to a broad range of elicitins. In this review, we provide an overview on elicitins and the plant responses they elicit. We summarize the state of the art by describing what we consider to be the nine most important features of elicitin biology.

Contents

Summary
888

I.
Introduction
888

II.
Elicitins form a diverse family of secreted proteins in oomycetes
889

III.
Elicitins bind sterols and other lipids
889

IV.
Elicitins have features of MAMPs
889

V.
Plants from different botanical families respond to elicitins
891

VI.
Cell surface plant proteins mediate broad‐spectrum responses to elicitins
891

VII.
Elicitins induce a sustained oxidative burst that leads to HR cell death
891

VIII.
Plant response to elicitins does not always include HR cell death
892

IX.
Plant response to elicitins enhances disease resistance
892

X.
Several oomycete effectors suppress elicitin response
893

XI.
Closing remarks: there is much we still do not know about elicitins and their receptors
893

Acknowledgements
893

References
893
Differential antioxidant response between two Symbiodinium species from contrasting environments
Authors: Roberty S. , Furla P. , Plumier J. ‐C.
Published: September 2016

High sea surface temperature accompanied by high levels of solar irradiance is responsible for the disruption of the symbiosis between cnidarians and their symbiotic dinoflagellates from the genus Symbiodinium. This phenomenon, known as coral bleaching, is one of the major threats affecting coral reefs around the world. Because an important molecular trigger to bleaching appears related to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), it is critical to understand the function of the antioxidant network of Symbiodinium species. In this study we investigated the response of two Symbiodinium species, from contrasting environments, to a chemically induced oxidative stress. ROS produced during this oxidative burst reduced photosynthesis by 30 to 50% and significantly decreased the activity of superoxide dismutase. Lipid peroxidation levels and carotenoid concentrations, especially diatoxanthin, confirm that these molecules act as antioxidants and contribute to the stabilization of membrane lipids. The comparative analysis between the two Symbiodinium species allowed us to highlight that Symbiodinium sp. clade A temperate was more tolerant to oxidative stress than the tropical S. kawagutii clade F. These differences are very likely a consequence of adaptation to their natural environment, with the temperate species experiencing conditions of temperature and irradiance much more variable and extreme.
Acute interstitial nephritis in T‐cell leukemia in a pediatric patient
Authors: Biro Erika , Szikszay Edit , Pethő‐Orosz Petronella , Bigida László , Balla György , Szabó Tamás
Published: September 2016

Acute lymphoid leukemia is the most frequently occurring malignancy in childhood, but acute tubulointerstitial nephritis with associated acute renal failure as the leading manifestation of leukemia is extremely rare. Only a few pediatric cases have been described in the literature. We present a surprising case in which physical examination and initial investigation were not typical for leukemia. Ultrasound showed only modest kidney enlargement while laboratory results indicated acute renal failure. Renal biopsy indicated tubulointerstitial nephritis, and subsequent steroid treatment led to sudden clinical improvement. One month later, however, the patient returned with typical clinical features of leukemia. Re‐evaluation of the original kidney biopsy block indicated T‐cell acute lymphoid leukemia. The present case highlights the importance of renal biopsy.
Novel compound heterozygous mutations in a Japanese girl with Janus kinase 3 deficiency
Authors: Sato Takeshi , Okano Tsubasa , Tanaka‐Kubota Mari , Kimura Shunsuke , Miyamoto Satoshi , Ono Shintaro , Yamashita Motoi , Mitsuiki Noriko , Takagi Masatoshi , Imai Kohsuke , Kajiwara Michiko , Ebato Takasuke , Ogata Shohei , Oda Hirotsugu , Ohara Osamu , Kanegane Hirokazu , Morio Tomohiro
Published: September 2016

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is the most severe form of primary immunodeficiency disease, and it is characterized by marked impairment in cellular and humoral immunity. Mutations in several genes cause SCID, one of which is Janus kinase 3 (JAK3), resulting in autosomal recessive T(–)B(+)NK(–) SCID. Only three patients with JAK3‐deficient SCID have been reported in Japan. We herein describe the case of a 6‐month‐old girl with pneumocystis pneumonia, who was diagnosed with SCID with compound heterozygous JAK3 mutations (c.1568G>A + c.421‐10G>A). One of the mutations was previously reported in another Japanese patient. The other mutation was a novel and de novo relatively deep intronic mutation causing aberrant RNA splicing. The patient was successfully treated with bone marrow transplantation from a haploidentical donor.
Dysplastic follicular dendritic cells in hyaline‐vascular Castleman disease: a rare occurrence creating diagnostic difficulty
Authors: Medina Edward A. , Fuehrer Neil E. , Miller Frank R. , Kinney Marsha C. , Higgins Russell A.
Published: September 2016

Follicular dendritic cell (FDC) proliferations and dysplastic FDCs can be seen in Hyaline‐vascular Castleman disease (HVCD). The association between HVCD and FDC sarcoma is well‐documented; dysplastic FDCs may be precursors to FDC sarcoma. Herein, we describe a case of HVCD with strikingly large and dysplastic FDCs, which raised the differential of Hodgkin lymphoma and other neoplasms. Scattered dysplastic FDCs were predominantly in germinal centers and mantle zones, and rarely in interfollicular areas. Although occasional germinal centers contained increased FDCs, no mass forming proliferations were present to suggest FDC sarcoma. Immunostaining demonstrated that the atypical FDCs expressed CD21, clusterin and CXCL13, but not CD23, S100, pankeratin or CD30; they aberrantly expressed epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The present case demonstrates that dysplastic FDCs may be present as isolated cells that require immunophenotyping to distinguish them from malignant entities with similar morphologic features. A variety of FDC markers is required to confirm their origin as the expression of any single marker is not assured, as occurred in this case. Pathologists need be aware of FDC proliferations in HVCD because of their association with FDC sarcoma. Aberrant EGFR expression by dysplastic FDCs may indicate that they are pre‐neoplastic and necessitate long‐term patient follow‐up.