bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Phase I dose‐escalation trial to repurpose propagermanium, an oral CCL2 inhibitor, in patients with breast cancer
Authors: Masuda Takaaki , Noda Miwa , Kogawa Takahiro , Kitagawa Dai , Hayashi Naoki , Jomori Takahito , Nakanishi Yoichi , Nakayama Keiichi I. , Ohno Shinji , Mimori Koshi
Published: January 2020

The formation of premetastatic niches creates a fertile environment for the seeding of disseminated cancer cells in selected secondary organs. This is crucial for the development of metastasis in various malignancies, including breast cancer (BC). We previously reported that the loss of FBXW7 in bone marrow‐derived stromal cells promoted cancer metastasis by increasing the production of the chemokine CCL2, which attracts myeloid‐derived suppressor cells and macrophages to the premetastatic niche. Furthermore, treatment with the CCL2 inhibitor propagermanium (PG), which has been used in Japan as a therapeutic agent against chronic hepatitis B, was shown to block the enhancement of metastasis in FBXW7‐deficient mice through inhibiting the formation of premetastatic niches. Here, we describe a phase I dose‐escalation study of PG used as an antimetastatic drug for perioperative patients with primary BC. The primary end‐point was the percentage of patients who experience dose‐limiting toxicity. Twelve patients were enrolled in the study. Dose‐limiting toxicity was not observed, and the maximum dose was determined to be 90 mg/body/day. The serum concentrations of PG were nearly within the normal range in all observation days. We observed an inverse correlation between FBXW7 mRNA levels in blood and the serum concentrations of CCL2 and interleukin (IL)‐6, in agreement with our previous mouse model. Also, IL‐6 was downregulated in a PG dose‐dependent manner, as observed in mice. Thus, PG was given safely and it is expected to have antimetastatic potential in BC. This trial is registered in the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry as UMIN000022494.
Transcription factor AP‐4 (TFAP4)‐upstream ORF coding 66 aa inhibits the malignant behaviors of glioma cells by suppressing the TFAP4/long noncoding RNA 00520/microRNA‐520f‐3p feedback loop
Authors: Wang Yipeng , Yang Chunqing , Liu Xiaobai , Zheng Jian , Zhang Fangfang , Wang Di , Xue Yixue , Li Xiaozhi , Shen Shuyuan , Shao Lianqi , Yang Yang , Liu Libo , Ma Jun , Liu Yunhui
Published: January 2020

Upstream ORF (uORF) is a translational initiation element located in the 5′UTR of eukaryotic mRNAs. Studies have found that uORFs play an important regulatory role in many diseases. Based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database, the results of our experiments and previous research evidence, we investigated transcription factor AP‐4 (TFAP4) and its uORF, LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1), long noncoding RNA 00520 (LINC00520), and microRNA (miR)‐520f‐3p as candidates involved in glioma malignancy, which is a poorly understood process. Both TFAP4‐66aa‐uORF and miR‐520f‐3p were downregulated, and TFAP4, LASP1, and LINC00520 were highly expressed in glioma tissues and cells. TFAP4‐66aa‐uORF or miR‐520f‐3p overexpression or TFAP4, LASP1, or LINC00520 knockdown inhibited glioma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoted apoptosis. TFAP4‐66aa‐uORF inhibited the translation of TFAP4 by binding to the TFAP4 mRNA. MicroRNA‐520f‐3p inhibited TFAP4 expression by binding to its 3′UTR. However, LINC00520 could promote the expression of TFAP4 by competitively binding to miR‐520f‐3p. In addition, TFAP4 transcriptionally activated LASP1 and LINC00520 expression by binding to their promoter regions, forming a positive feedback loop of TFAP4/LINC00520/miR‐520f‐3p. Our findings together indicated that TFAP4‐66aa‐uORF inhibited the TFAP4/LINC00520/miR‐520f‐3p feedback loop by directly inhibiting TFAP4 expression, subsequently leading to inhibition of glioma malignancy. This provides a basis for developing new therapeutic approaches for glioma treatment.
Twenty‐five‐year follow‐up of educational differences in toothache prevalence
Authors: Raittio Eero , Helakorpi Satu , Suominen Anna Liisa
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Nationally representative studies on socioeconomic differences in toothache prevalence are very limited, especially with a long follow‐up period. Our aim was to examine the education‐related differences in toothache prevalence among 25‐ to 64‐year‐olds in Finland during 1990‐2014.

Methods

We used data from the Health Behaviour and Health Among the Finnish Adult Population surveys. Data were gathered by random samples of 15‐ to 64‐year‐old Finns annually between 1990 and 2014. Response rates decreased during this period from 76% (n = 3812) to 53% (n = 2630). Our final pooled total sample size was 63 372 after exclusion of edentate participants and missing data. Relative educational level was used to measure socioeconomic position. In addition to basic tabulations, educational differences in toothache prevalence during the past month were investigated using the multiple additive regression tree for mediation analysis.

Results

The proportion of respondents who reported having had toothache during the past month increased from 7% to 12% from 1990 to 2014. Educational differences in toothache prevalence were small for the whole study period, especially in women. Men with high relative education had a lower toothache prevalence than people with low relative education during 1990‐1994 and 2010‐2014. This stemmed from the direct effect of relative education and the indirect effects of toothbrushing frequency, number of missing teeth and perceived health. In both sexes, those with middle‐level relative education had higher toothache prevalence than people with low relative education 1995‐2009.

Conclusions

During 1990‐2014, toothache prevalence increased among 25‐ to 64‐year‐olds in Finland. Since the mid‐1990s, differences in toothache prevalence by relative education remained very small in both sexes. More actions are needed to understand reasons behind the clearly increased toothache prevalence in Finland during the last decades.
Long noncoding RNA‐mRNA expression profiles and validation in pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms
Authors: Ji Meng , Tang Liang , Ding Rumei , Shi Ligang , Liu Anan , Chen Danlei , Shao Chenghao
Published: January 2020

Background

Pancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (pNENs) are a group of endocrine tumours arising in the pancreas and deemed to be the most common neuroendocrine tumours. The pathogenesis of pNENs remains unknown. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are aberrantly expressed in cancers. The functional roles of lncRNAs and lncRNA‐mRNA expression profiles in pNENs are undefined. The aim of this study was to identify the lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles and explore the lncRNA‐mRNA co‐expression networks associated with the pNENs carcinogenesis.

Method

Differentially expressed lncRNA and mRNA in pNENs tissues from adjacent tissues were detected using human lncRNA microarray V3.0 containing 30 586 lncRNA and 26 109 coding transcripts. Probable functions for lncRNAs and mRNAs were predicted according to lncRNA‐mRNA network.

Results

The microarray identified 2080 lncRNAs and 1771 mRNAs in pNENs tumours differentially expressed compared with the adjacent tissues. The GO terms and KEGG pathway annotation data indicated that cell projection morphogenesis, cell adhesion molecules pathway, PI3K‐AKT signalling pathway, focal adhesion pathway, neuroactive ligand‐receptor interaction pathways and Ras signalling pathways were significantly associated with the pNENs tumorigenesis. Co‐expression network analysis revealed the differential interactions between lncRNAs and mRNAs in pNENs tumours and adjacent tissues. The genes, situated at the important nodes of the co‐expression network, include ICOSLG, ENST00000512077, FGF8 and ENST00000511918.

Conclusions

There were significant differences in lncRNA and mRNA expression between pNEN tumours and adjacent tissues, and these differences were associated with tumorigenesis through multiple biological processes and signalling pathways. These results provided important insights regarding lncRNA in pNENs pathogenesis and provide potential therapeutic targets.
Intraoperative squash cytology provides a qualitative intraoperative diagnosis for cases in which frozen section yields a diagnosis of equivocal brain tumour
Authors: Fujita Hirotaka , Tajiri Takuma , Machida Tomohisa , Nomura Nozomi , Toguchi Suguru , Itoh Hitoshi , Hiraiwa Shinichiro , Sugiyama Tomoko , Imai Masaaki , Oda Shinri , Shimoda Masami , Nakamura Naoya
Published: January 2020

Objective

We assessed whether intraoperative squash cytology could provide surgeons with a qualitative diagnosis of brain lesions when frozen section diagnosis is equivocal.

Methods

The study included 51 lesions that were diagnosed intraoperatively as equivocal brain tumour on the basis of frozen section. We retrospectively classified the lesions into five groups according to the final histopathological diagnoses (I: malignant lymphomas; II: diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglia tumours; III: pituitary adenomas, IV: metastatic carcinomas; V: others). We assessed the squash cytology features of Groups I–IV and of the specific lesion types, and compared features among the groups.

Results

The four groups differed in a range of salient cytomorphological features: lymphoglandular bodies in Group I (eight of nine cases), cytoplasmic fibrillary processes in Group II (six of eight cases), low‐grade nuclear atypia in Group III (seven of seven cases), and large nuclei (approximately 80 μm2) and nuclear crush artefacts in Group IV (seven of nine cases).

Conclusion

Findings of lymphoglandular bodies on intraoperative squash cytology can be considered characteristic of malignant lymphomas, while cytoplasmic fibrillary processes indicate diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumours. We conclude that squash cytology could yield a qualitative intraoperative diagnosis in over 25% of cases for which frozen section yields a diagnosis of equivocal brain tumour.
Negative correlations between native macrophyte diversity and water hyacinth abundance are stronger in its introduced than in its native range
Authors: Lolis Lucas Assumpção , Alves Diego Corrêa , Fan Shufeng , Lv Tian , Yang Lei , Li Yang , Liu Chunhua , Yu Dan , Thomaz Sidinei Magela
Published: January 2020

Aim

We tested the hypothesis that the diversity and abundance of aquatic macrophytes are negatively related withEichhornia crassipesabundance in its introduced range, but not in its native range.

Location

Upper Paraná River Floodplain, Brazil and Southeast China.

Methods

We sampled aquatic macrophytes patches in Brazil (native range) and China (introduced range) along a biomass gradient ofE. crassipes. For each patch, we obtained values of species richness and aquatic macrophytes percentage cover, as response variables in regression models. We also used species accumulation curves to quantify the total plot diversity in dominated and non‐dominated plots for both countries. Finally, we compared the influence ofE. crassipesdominance on community composition and beta diversity with Permanova and Permdisp, respectively.

Results

The regression analyses revealed a negative correlation between macrophyte richness and cover andE. crassipesbiomass only in the introduced range. The cumulative number of species decreased at a higher extent in plots dominated byE. crassipesin China, compared with Brazil. Also, species composition changed and beta diversity decreased in the dominated plots in China, but not in Brazil.

Main Conclusions

The reduction of all diversity attributes related toE. crassipesprobably results from its engineer species role, which decreases littoral region habitat heterogeneity and affects rare species in the introduced range. Differences between countries may be associated with impacts of water hyacinth on native macrophytes as this plant grows very fast and is highly competitive. Although less probable, biotic resistance at the establishment phase of water hyacinth in sites with higher number of native species is also a possibility. Regardless of the main mechanism explaining our patterns, it is suggested that invasion by water hyacinth is a cause for concern for its higher impacts in the introduced ranges than the native ranges.
Imago Dei and human rights protections of forced migrants: A North Korean case study
Authors: Yoon I Sil
Published: January 2020

In this article, I examine the significance of the theological concept of Imago Dei in recognizing the dignity of North Koreans and in necessitating socio‐structural transformation for their human rights protections in South Korean society. North Koreans residing in South Korea are an example case of forced migrants who experience mistreatment and discrimination in their destination country. In this reality, the concept of Imago Dei can call South Koreans to recognize North Koreans’ dignity. It can further criticize South Korea's social structure that intensifies North Koreas’ maladjustment in South Korean society, and necessitate institutional levels of transformation.
Management of type 2 diabetes using non‐insulin glucose‐lowering therapies: a critical appraisal of clinical practice guidelines with the AGREE II instrument
Authors: Lam W. M. J. , Al‐Khalifah R. , Florez I. D. , Cruz‐Lopes L. , Sekercioglu M. F. , Couban R. , Fu R. , Cherney D. Z. I. , Sekercioglu N.
Published: January 2020

Aim

Type 2 diabetes is a major global epidemic affecting over 400 million people worldwide. The objective of this systematic review was to provide an overview of recommendations from clinical practice guidelines (guidelines) addressing non‐insulin based pharmacological management of among non‐pregnant adults in an outpatient setting, and critically appraise their methodological development.

Methods

We systematically searched MEDLINE and Embase databases, for relevant guidelines using the Ovid interface. We scanned the bibliographies of all eligible guidelines for additional relevant citations. Teams of two reviewers, independently and in duplicate, screened titles and abstracts and potentially eligible full text reports to determine eligibility and appraised the reporting quality of guidelines using the Advancing Guideline Development, Reporting and Evaluation in Health Care instrument II (AGREE II) instrument.

Results

Our search yielded 11264 unique citations, of which 124 were retrieved for full‐text review; 17 guidelines proved eligible. The highest scoring AGREE domain was ‘clarity of presentation’ (66%; range 7–92%), followed by ‘scope and purpose’ (58%; range 25–92%), ‘editorial independence’ (55%; range 0–91%), ‘stakeholder involvement’ (45%; range 11–90%) and ‘rigour of development’ (43%; range 4–92%). The poorest domain was ‘applicability’ (37%; range 6–84%). The guidelines authored by the World Health Organization group achieved the highest AGREE overall score.

Conclusions

Most of the guidelines provided recommendations with a local jurisdictional focus and showed significant variation in the quality. Nevertheless, only a small number of those scored well overall.
Heidegger and the genesis of social ontology: Mitwelt, Mitsein, and the problem of other people
Authors: Knudsen Nicolai Krejberg
Published: January 2020

This article traces the development of how the early Heidegger tried to integrate the structures of social life into phenomenological ontology. Firstly, I argue that Heidegger's analysis of the three elements of the lifeworld—the with‐world (Mitwelt), the environing world (Umwelt), and the self‐world (Selbstwelt)—is ambiguous, because it shifts between defining sociality as a domain of entities and a mode of appearance. This is untenable because the social as a mode of appearance constantly overflows the definition as a domain by implicating social structures in phenomenological explications of entities that, formally, belong to other domains. Secondly, I argue that Heidegger realized this and subsequently changed his terminology from Mitwelt to Mitsein in order to avoid confusing the mode of appearance with the innerworldly entities. The systematic consequence of this line of argument is that the object of social ontology must be the world as such rather than a particular domain. Lastly, I respond to the common worry that this position is unable to explain the significance of interpersonal encounters by arguing that the world not only makes the appearance of others possible but also that the world is itself at stake in these encounters.
Crop Origins and Phylo Food: A database and a phylogenetic tree to stimulate comparative analyses on the origins of food crops
Authors: Milla Rubén
Published: January 2020

Motivation

Knowledge on the origins of food crops in the wild is abundant but fragmentary and unconsolidated, which hinders macroecological approaches to long‐standing questions on the phylogeography and history of crop origins.

Main types of variable contained

(a) Comprehensive checklist of crop species cultivated for food; (b) data on diverse continuous and categorical descriptors of antiquity of cultivation (earliest written records of cultivation and of domestication), organ harvested for primary use, and growth form; (c) identities, geographic distribution and current climate at the origin of crops’ wild progenitors; (d) a time‐calibrated molecular phylogeny (Phylo Food v 1.0) of food crops.

Spatial location and grain

Global. Spatial accuracy of geographic records for wild progenitors varies among Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) source databases. WorldClim data were retrieved at 2.5 min (approximately 4.5 km at the equator) spatial resolution.

Time period and grain

Temporal accuracy of estimation of cultivation antiquity varies among sources, but unit of measurements is years ago. The scale of the phylogenetic tree is millions of years ago.

Major taxa and level of measurement

Flowering plants. Specifically, 866 species of food crops and 901 species of wild progenitors. Most information was retrieved at the species level. However, geographic occurrence of wild progenitors was obtained from GBIF records of observations of individuals of a given species in the field.

Software format

Crop Origins v 1.0 and Phylo Food v 1.0 are provided as zipped files in the Supporting Information of this paper. The zipped files contain a. csv file with v 1.0 of the Crop Origins database, a. tre file with Newick format as Phylo Food v 1.0, metadata and literature sources files for both resources, and R code used to build Phylo Food v 1.0. The resources are also deposited, and will be regularly updated, at https://rubenmilla.github.io/Crop_Origins_Phylo.
Comparison of the efficacy of surgical tracheostomy and percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with flexible lightwand and ultrasonography in geriatric intensive care patients
Authors: Boran Ömer Faruk , Bilal Bora , Bilal Nagihan , Öksüz Hafize , Boran Maruf , Yazar Fatih Mehmet
Published: January 2020

Aim

To compare the applicability, technical difficulties and postoperative complications of surgical tracheostomy and percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with the flexible lightwand + ultrasonography method applied because of prolonged intubation to geriatric patients in the intensive care unit.

Methods

A retrospective evaluation was made of 76 patients who received surgical tracheostomy (group 1) and 78 patients who received percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (group 2). The patients were evaluated in respect of demographic data, duration of intubation, length of stay in the intensive care unit and discharge status, and after the intervention, the development of tube‐related complications, early stage local complications and late‐stage complications.

Results

The time from intubation to tracheostomy was determined as 22.73 ± 15.23 days in group 1 and 12.65 ± 7.64 days in group 2. The mortality rate of patients in group 1 was determined to be statistically significantly higher than that of group 2 (P = 0.048). When evaluated in respect to early and late complications, nine early‐ and seven late‐stage complications developed in group 1, and three early‐ and three late‐stage complications developed in group 2 (P = 0.05). In the evaluation of factors related to mortality, the time from intubation to tracheostomy (r = 0.249, P = 0.01) and the presence of a comorbidity (r = 0.325, P = 0.004) were determined to have a positive correlation with the development of mortality.

Conclusion

Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy with the flexible lightwand + ultrasonography technique is a safe, rapid and effective method with the advantage of management in respect to early complications, such as bleeding, and can be used safely in the geriatric patient population in intensive care conditions. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ••: ••–••.
‘SCHNAPS AUS DEN DUNKELSTEN PFLAUMEN’: THE CORRUPTION OF NATURE AND THE CENTRALITY OF THE HOLOCAUST IN THE WORK OF HERTA MÜLLER
Authors: Watson Jenny
Published: January 2020

Herta Müller's work is permeated with images of death and violence associated with the natural world. Plants, processes of growth and decay, and even the earth itself are represented as sentient and threatening, as collaborators with the Ceauşescu regime and enemies of humanity. This trope, part of a wider denaturalisation of food, eating, and the natural cycle I term ‘obscene consumption’, is particularly evident in the novel Herztier, first published in 1994, but can be traced back through earlier works to the author's first and most enduring artistic preoccupation: the Holocaust. Building on theories of the concentrationary imaginary and Lazarean art, this article explores the role of cultural memory in the creation of Müller's imagery and argues for a re‐evaluation of her writing as a significant contribution to the literature of post‐fascism both within and beyond Germany.
DER ʻEIGENE KALENDERʼ DES ERINNERNS: DIE WAHRHEIT DER ERFUNDENEN ERINNERUNG IN HERTA MÜLLERS ROMANEN, ERZÄHLUNGEN UND ESSAYS
Authors: Eke Norbert Otto
Published: January 2020

The paper discusses the relationship between authenticity and fictionality, and ‘true’ and ‘false’ memory in Herta Müller's works. There is no doubt about the relativity and context‐dependency of memory. Nevertheless, Müller's novels, stories, and essays display, as I shall outline in the following, a convincing modus of ascertaining the truth through fiction.
Field Study of Soil Vapor Extraction for Reducing Off‐Site Vapor Intrusion
Authors: Stewart Lloyd , Lutes Chris , Truesdale Robert , Schumacher Brian , Zimmerman John H. , Connell Rebecca
Published: January 2020

Soil vapor extraction (SVE) is effective for removing volatile organic compound (VOC) mass from the vadose zone and reducing the potential for vapor intrusion (VI) into overlying and surrounding buildings. However, the relationship between residual mass in the subsurface and VI is complex. Through a series of alternating extraction (SVE on) and rebound (SVE off) periods, this field study explored the relationship and aspects of SVE applicable to VI mitigation in a commercial/light‐industrial setting. The primary objective was to determine if SVE could provide VI mitigation over a wide area encompassing multiple buildings, city streets, and subsurface utilities and eliminate the need for individual subslab depressurization systems. We determined that SVE effectively mitigates offsite VI by intercepting or diluting contaminant vapors that would otherwise enter buildings through foundation slabs. Data indicate a measurable (5 Pa) influence of SVE on subslab/indoor pressure differential may occur but is not essential for effective VI mitigation. Indoor air quality improvements were evident in buildings 100 to 200 feet away from SVE including those without a measurable reversal of differential pressure across the slab or substantial reductions in subslab VOC concentration. These cases also demonstrated mitigation effects across a four‐lane avenue with subsurface utilities. These findings suggest that SVE affects distant VI entry points with little observable impact on differential pressures and without relying on subslab VOC concentration reductions.
HEADWORK Questionnaire: Why Do We Need a New Tool to Assess Work‐Related Disability in Patients With Migraine?
Authors: D’Amico Domenico , Grazzi Licia , Grignani Eleonora , Leonardi Matilde , Sansone Emanuela , Raggi Alberto ,   The HEADWORK Study Group
Published: January 2020

Objective

This article reviews current headache disability measures and clinical need, as well as presenting the rationale for a new measure addressing work‐related disability in migraine patients and the steps devoted to this aim.

Background

Episodic and chronic migraine (EM and CM) constitute an enormous economic burden to societies, and the vast majority of this burden is attributable to indirect costs, ie those associated with productivity loss. A measure of work‐related disability is therefore needed to quantify the impact of EM and CM on patients' ability to carry out work tasks.

Methods

We briefly present the advantages and disadvantages of the disability measures that have been most commonly used for this purpose and the rationale for developing a new measure.

Results

The entire process of development of HEADWORK, a questionnaire designed to assess work‐related disability, is presented together with short‐term sensitivity to change.

Conclusions

Current headache disability measures need improvement. HEADWORK is a valid, reliable, and sensitive questionnaire to address the amount and severity of work‐related difficulties and of the factors contributing to such difficulties. HEADWORK is suitable for daily clinical practice, epidemiological research and for clinical trials, and potentially to define work‐related disability weights for the calculation of migraine indirect costs.
The inclusion of mothers in human resources for health planning
Authors: Dol Justine , Tomblin Murphy Gail , Rigby Janet , Campbell‐Yeo Marsha
Published: January 2020

Aim

This paper examines the possibility of including families, particularly mothers, within the health workforce using the human resource for health planning model to improve newborn outcomes.

Background

In many low‐ and middle‐income countries, there is a critical shortage of healthcare providers which impacts care for the neonatal population. A maternal and newborn health need that is prevalent in such countries is the care available between pregnancy and the postnatal period, where significant maternal and newborn deaths occur.

Sources of evidence

Using the population health need of the neonatal population in Tanzania, this paper explores the opportunity to include mothers as an additional human resource for health within the Needs‐Based Health Human Resources and Health Systems Planning model.

Discussion

In relation to educating and engaging family caregivers, the possible extension of the health workforce to include mothers as a response to meeting the healthcare needs of the neonatal population has yet to be explored. Through mothers and healthcare providers working together to address the population health need of essential newborn care, it offers a way forward for planning the resources needed in a health system. If utilized, mothers offer the opportunity to supplement the demand for human resources for health in the provision of newborn care, without replacing healthcare providers.

Conclusion

Mothers as potential members of the health workforce furthers the health system as a whole whereby population health needs are addressed and newborn mortality declines.

Implications for health policy

To solve the critical gap based on the supply of and demand for providers including doctors, nurses and midwives, a broader look at innovative solutions is essential.

Implications for nursing practice

Mothers offer the opportunity to supplement the available human resources for health in the provision of newborn care, thus helping to close existing gaps.
Is there a 'safe area' where the nonresponse rate has only a modest effect on bias despite non‐ignorable nonresponse?
Authors: Hedlin Dan
Published: January 2020

Rising nonresponse rates in social surveys make the issue of nonresponse bias contentious. There are conflicting messages about the importance of high response rates and the hazards of low rates. Some articles (e.g. Groves and Peytcheva, 2008) suggest that the response rate is in general not a good predictor of survey quality. Equally, it is well known that nonresponse may induce bias and increase data collection costs. We go back in the history of the literature of nonresponse and suggest a possible reason to the notion that even a rather small nonresponse rate makes the quality of a survey debatable. We also explore the relationship between nonresponse rate and bias, assuming non‐ignorable nonresponse and focusing on estimates of totals or means. We show that there is a ‘safe area’ enclosed by the response rate on the one hand and the correlation between the response propensity and the study variable on the other hand; in this area, (1) the response rate does not greatly affect the nonresponse bias, and (2) the nonresponse bias is small.
A novel CMAS‐resistant material based on thermodynamic equilibrium design: Apatite‐type Gd10(SiO4)6O3
Authors: Wu Di , Zhang Han , Shan Xiao , Yang Fan , Guo Fangwei , Zhao Xiaofeng , Xiao Ping , Gong Shengkai
Published: January 2020

Calcium‐magnesium‐alumino‐silicates (CMAS) melt attack has been a critical issue for the thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with ever‐increasing engine operating temperature. In this study, a novel CMAS‐resistant material apatite‐type Gd10(SiO4)6O3 is developed for TBCs application based on thermodynamic equilibrium design. The chemical reaction of Gd10(SiO4)6O3 bulk and CMAS melt is investigated at 1300°C. The CMAS corrosion resistance of Gd10(SiO4)6O3 bulk is evaluated and compared with the well‐studied CMAS‐resistant material Gd2Zr2O7 (GZO). It is found that Gd10(SiO4)6O3 shows a significantly enhanced CMAS resistance, including lower intrinsic CMAS infiltration rate (~1.09 μm/h1/2) and smaller infiltration upper limit (50‐62 μm) for a 20 mg/cm2 CMAS deposition. More importantly, for Gd10(SiO4)6O3, the CMAS infiltration only alters the composition but does not change the crystal structure or destroy microstructural integrity. The reaction mechanism is elucidated as following two stages: (a) surface Gd10(SiO4)6O3 quickly transforms into Ca2Gd8(SiO4)6O2 in suit by interdiffusion with CMAS melt and then is thermodynamically stable with CMAS melt, thereby effectively inhibiting the further CMAS infiltration and (b) with the ongoing interdiffusion of Gd/Ca, the CMAS‐infiltrated layer slowly thickens and follows a parabolic law. Meanwhile, the CMAS melt gradually precipitates Ca2Gd8(SiO4)6O2 and CaAl2Si2O8 (anorthite) until the melt is exhausted.
Chemical constituents of tropical woods and resistance to the invasive drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis
Authors: Cosme Lírio , Turchen Leonardo Morais , Guedes Raul Narciso Carvalho
Published: January 2020

Wood‐feeding, nesting and production of secondary reproductives are key determinant traits of invasive species of drywood termites, and the West Indian drywood termite Cryptotermes brevis (Walker) is one of their major examples of worldwide concern as pest species of structural lumber, furniture and other wood products. The problem and losses by this species are determined by the prevailing wood characteristics. However, despite the current widespread occurrence of this species in the tropics, except Asia, tropical wood resistance and underlying mechanisms of resistance against this termite are scarcely known. Nonetheless, wood hardness and particularly wood density were recently recognized as important underlying traits for C. brevis resistance in tropical woods, but the chemical wood constituents were not considered. Here, we assessed tropical wood resistance to the invasive termite species C. brevis and tested the relevance of their holocellulose, lignin and (total) extractive contents preventing termite infestation. Free‐choice and no‐choice tests were carried out in parallel with wood chemical characterization. Resistance to the West Indian termite varied with wood species in terms of both colonization and consumption, but only under free‐choice testing because without choice, no significant difference was detected among wood species. Regardless, none of these traits were significantly correlated with wood resistance to C. brevis. Therefore, wood physical resistance, particularly wood density, seems the main recognized determinant of tropical wood resistance against the West Indian drywood termite. The pattern of termite movement on the surface of soft, mid and hard wood was also consistent with this conclusion.
Cellular models for discovering prion disease therapeutics: Progress and challenges
Authors: Krance Saffire H. , Luke Russell , Shenouda Marc , Israwi Ahmad R. , Colpitts Sarah J. , Darwish Lina , Strauss Maximilian , Watts Joel C.
Published: January 2020

Prions, which cause fatal neurodegenerative disorders such as Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease, are misfolded and infectious protein aggregates. Currently, there are no treatments available to halt or even delay the progression of prion disease in the brain. The infectious nature of prions has resulted in animal paradigms that accurately recapitulate all aspects of prion disease, and these have proven to be instrumental for testing the efficacy of candidate therapeutics. Nonetheless, infection of cultured cells with prions provides a much more powerful system for identifying molecules capable of interfering with prion propagation. Certain lines of cultured cells can be chronically infected with various types of mouse prions, and these models have been used to unearth candidate anti‐prion drugs that are at least partially efficacious when administered to prion‐infected rodents. However, these studies have also revealed that not all types of prions are equal, and that drugs active against mouse prions are not necessarily effective against prions from other species. Despite some recent progress, the number of cellular models available for studying non‐mouse prions remains limited. In particular, human prions have proven to be particularly challenging to propagate in cultured cells, which has severely hindered the discovery of drugs for Creutzfeldt‐Jakob disease. In this review, we summarize the cellular models that are presently available for discovering and testing drugs capable of blocking the propagation of prions and highlight challenges that remain on the path towards developing therapies for prion disease.

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DNA methylation profile of genes related to immune response in generalized periodontitis
Authors: Azevedo Andrea Mara , Carvalho Rocha Luiz Paulo , de Faria Amormino Simone Angélica , Cavalieri Gomes Carolina , Ornelas Dutra Walderez , Santiago Gomez Ricardo , da Costa José Eustáquio , Rocha Moreira Paula
Published: January 2020

Background and objective

Epigenetic events, as the DNA methylation, may be related to development of inflammatory diseases. Due to the important role of host's response in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the methylation profile of genes related to immune response in gingival tissues from patients with generalized periodontitis (GP) compared to healthy individuals.

Methods

Gingival tissues were collected from 20 individuals with GP and 20 healthy individuals. Genomic DNA was extracted and submitted to enzymatic digestions. An initial screening using a panel of genes involved with the response immune was performed in pools containing six samples of each group. Genes that presented different levels of methylation between the groups were selected for individual assays for validation.

Results

The array results showed an unmethylated profile in the majority of genes evaluated in both groups. MALT1, LTB, and STAT5 genes presented a profile of partial methylation in the control compared with GP group. Validation individual assays using a larger number of samples (n = 20, each group) confirmed the hypomethylation of STAT5 in the GP group compared with control group (P < .001).

Conclusion

Generalized periodontitis is associated with hypomethylation of the STAT5 gene. Further studies are necessary to evaluate the functional impact these findings.
Uncoupled inflammatory, proliferative, and cytoskeletal responses in senescent human gingival fibroblasts
Authors: Páez Jassir , Hernández Romina , Espinoza Javier , Rojas Leticia , Martínez Constanza E. , Tobar Nicolas , Martínez Jorge , Smith Patricio C.
Published: January 2020

Background and objective

Aging is characterized by a decline in tissue structure and function that may be explained by the development of cellular senescence. However, the acquisition of specific phenotypic responses in senescent gingival fibroblasts is still poorly understood. Here, we have analyzed whether proliferation of primary cultures of human gingival fibroblasts may affect different cell functions relevant to cellular senescence and tissue deterioration.

Methods

Human gingival fibroblasts from five young donors were expanded until cellular senescence was achieved. Cellular senescence was evaluated by determining modifications in cell size, cell proliferation, p16 and p21 mRNA levels, H2Ax phosphorylation, cell viability, and senescence‐associated beta‐galactosidase staining. Inflammation was evaluated by analyzing the secretion of cytokines and nuclear translocation of NF‐κB. Collagen remodeling was evaluated using a collagen gel contraction assay. Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy were used to determine changes in the localization of the cytoskeletal proteins. Data analysis was performed to identify changes between cultures of the same donor at early and late passages using the paired sample t test or the Wilcoxon matched‐pairs signed‐rank test.

Results

Late passage cells showed changes compatible with cellular senescence that included increased cell size, reduced cell proliferation, staining for SA‐beta gal, phosphorylated H2Ax, and increased p16 and p21 mRNA levels. Late passage cells showed a decrease in collagen contraction and reduced co‐localization between the cytoskeletal proteins actin and vinculin. Importantly, late passage cells neither demonstrated changes in the secretion of inflammatory cytokines nor NF‐κB activation.

Conclusion

Our results imply that cytoskeletal changes and inhibition of cell proliferation represent early modifications in the structure and function of senescent gingival fibroblasts that are not coupled with the acquisition of an inflammatory phenotype. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of different senescence stages during aging of the periodontium.
Examining the efficacy of a self‐administered report form in missing person investigations
Authors: Gabbert Fiona , Tamonyte Donata , Apps Joe , Caso Alessandra , Woolnough Penny , Hope Lorraine , Handscomb Megan , Waterworth Georgina
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The success of missing person investigations often centres on the quality of information obtained in the early stages. Reliable information can not only inform the search but might also become vital evidence if the case broadens into a criminal investigation relating to a sexual offence, abduction, or even murder. In addition to eliciting high‐quality information, police officers must consider that those close to the missing person are likely going through a very difficult and stressful time. Across two studies, we developed and tested a self‐administered form (SAI‐MISSING) designed to obtain reliable information that would meaningfully inform a missing person investigation, as well as providing a means for family and friends to be actively involved.

Methods

In Experiment 1, 65 participants were tested individually and asked to provide a description of a person they knew well but had not seen for 24 hr. In the second study, 64 participants were tested in pairs, but immediately separated into different rooms and instructed to imagine that the person they came with has gone missing. In both studies, participants completed either the SAI‐MISSING tool, or a self‐administered control form.

Results

In Experiment 1, we found that the SAI‐MISSING tool elicited significantly more information regarding physical descriptions and descriptions of clothing and personal effects, than the comparison control form. In Experiment 2, we replicated this finding and further showed that the SAI‐MISSING tool produced higher accuracy rates than the control form.

Conclusions

Given the positive outcomes, potential applications of the tool are discussed.
A review on the status of some major fish species in Lake Victoria and possible conservation strategies
Authors: Outa Nicholas Otieno , Yongo Edwine Omollo , Keyombe James Last A. , Ogello Erick O. , Namwaya Wanjala David
Published: January 2020

Lake Victoria, the second largest freshwater lake in the world, supports an enormous flora and fauna biomass, with a large human population around the Lake. The lake is a source of food (fish), water for domestic use and crop and livestock production, transportation and tourism, among other uses. As a result of these varied uses, human intervention within the lake and its catchment has resulted in several ecological changes in the lake in recent years, with profound effects on its fish resources. One of the most notable changes is the reduction and risk of extinction of some fish species, including the endemic tilapiine species (Oreochromis esculentus and Oreochromis variabilis), catfishes (Xenoclarias eupogon), haplochromines and cyprinids (Labeo victorianus and Barbus altinialis) in the lake. The reduced biodiversity, as well as extinctions within the lake, has been attributed to the introduction of alien fish species (e.g. Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) into the lake, habitat loss and cultural eutrophication. If left unchecked, these changes will have devastating effects on the lake's resources, as well as to people living around the lake and beyond who depend on the lake fisheries for their livelihood. Thus, there is an urgent need for management measures based on sound scientific research to be implemented in order to curb the loss of ichthyodiversity within the lake, as well as to save the livelihoods of those stakeholders who are either directly or indirectly dependent on the lake.
Postpartum obesity and weight gain among human immunodeficiency virus‐infected and human immunodeficiency virus‐uninfected women in South Africa
Authors: Bengtson Angela M. , Phillips Tamsin K. , le Roux Stanzi M. , Brittain Kirsty , Buba Allison , Abrams Elaine J. , Myer Landon
Published: January 2020

In South Africa, up to 40% of pregnant women are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and 30–45% are obese. However, little is known about the dual burden of HIV and obesity in the postpartum period. In a cohort of HIV‐uninfected and HIV‐infected pregnant women initiating antiretroviral therapy in Cape Town, South Africa, we examined maternal anthropometry (weight and body mass index [BMI]) from 6 weeks through 12 months postpartum. Using multinomial logistic regression, we estimated associations between baseline sociodemographic, clinical, behavioural, and HIV factors and being overweight–obese I (BMI 25 to <35), or obese II‐III (BMI >35), compared with being underweight or normal weight (BMI <25), at 12 months postpartum. Among 877 women, we estimated that 43% of HIV‐infected women and 51% of HIV‐uninfected women were obese I‐III at enrollment into antenatal care, and 51% of women were obese I‐III by 12 months postpartum. On average, both HIV‐infected and HIV‐uninfected women gained, rather than lost, weight between 6 weeks and 12 months postpartum, but HIV‐uninfected women gained more weight (3.3 kg vs. 1.7 kg). Women who were obese I‐III pre‐pregnancy were more likely to gain weight postpartum. In multivariable analyses, HIV‐infection status, being married/cohabitating, higher gravidity, and high blood pressure were independently associated with being obese II‐III at 12 months postpartum. Obesity during pregnancy is a growing public health concern in low‐ and middle‐income countries, including South Africa. Additional research to understand how obesity and HIV infection affect maternal and child health outcomes is urgently needed.
To have and not to have sex: When multiple evolutions of conditional use of sex elegantly solve the question in the ant genus Cataglyphis
Authors: Doums Claudie , Monnin Thibaud
Published: January 2020

Organisms use an amazingly large diversity of mechanisms to pass on their genes to the next generation. Sex is ancestral in eukaryotes, where it remains the most widespread way of reproduction. By combining one's genes with those of a partner, sex entails a dilution of one's genes at each generation. Evolution has been particularly creative in devising mechanisms allowing females to avoid this dilution, from classical parthenogenesis to the elimination of male genes after fertilization (Bell, 1982). Moreover, the term parthenogenesis includes various forms. Parthenogenesis can be used for female (thelytoky) or male (arrhenotoky) production and it can be associated with different cytological mechanisms, from strict clonality to meiotic division with the fusion of two of the four products of meiosis to restore diploidy (Suomalainen, Saura, & Lokki, 1987). Understanding the evolution of these diverse reproductive systems remains one of the most exciting and longstanding questions in evolutionary biology. By characterizing the reproductive systems of 11 species from the thermophilic ant genus Cataglyphis, in this issue of Molecular Ecology, Kuhn, Darras, Paknia, and Aron (2020) show the high lability of parthenogenesis, with multiple independent evolution of facultative thelytoky from sexual ancestors. The diversity of life history traits and social characteristics of this genus (e.g., mode of colony foundation, female polyandry) provides a unique and exciting opportunity to investigate the social and environmental factors driving the evolution of reproductive systems in social Hymenoptera.
Perceived benefits of the disease: A qualitative study of patients' experiences of heart failure
Authors: Moshki Mahdi , Khajavi Abdoljavad , Minaee Shima , Vakilian Farveh , Hashemizadeh Haydeh
Published: January 2020

Heart failure may bring about positive outcomes, which have not been adequately addressed in the literature. Therefore, this qualitative study sought to scrutinize the experiences of patients and the perceived positive effects of heart failure. The opinions of 19 patients with heart failure in Mashhad city (Iran) were collected via semistructured interviews from December 2017 to November 2018. After analyzing the data, six themes were identified by framework analysis: healthy lifestyle, effective interactions, appreciation of life, spirituality, reappraisal of life and priorities, and endurance. Such positive effects may lead to empowerment and better coping of patients with the disease. Therefore, nurses should consider the patients' perception of illness in addition to the disease manifestations and offer training focusing on the possibilities instead of limitations.