bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correlations of cytokine levels in cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood with outcome of HHV‐6B encephalitis after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation
Authors: Takano Kuniko , Ogata Masao , Satou Takako , Miyazaki Yasuhiko , Otsuka Eiichi , Saito Noriyuki , Ueki Toshimitsu , Kako Shinichi , Fukuda Takahiro , Shirao Kuniaki
Published: September 2019

Background

Human herpesvirus (HHV)‐6B encephalitis has been recognized as a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo‐HCT). Little is known about the pathogenic mechanism for its progression.

Study Design

We retrospectively evaluated the 16 kinds of cytokines and chemokines in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma in patients who developed HHV‐6B encephalitis. Among a total of 20 patients, 12 were categorized as the poor prognosis group (died of encephalitis; n = 8 and retained sequelae; n = 4), and other eight patients were categorized as the good prognosis group (complete recovery; n = 8).

Results

Concentrations of CSF IL‐6 and IL‐8 at the onset of encephalitis were significantly higher in the poor prognosis group than in the good prognosis group (median CSF IL‐6, 28.27 pg/mL vs 14.32 pg/mL, P = .004; median CSF IL‐8, 128.70 pg/mL vs 59.43 pg/mL, P = .043). Regarding plasma, the concentration of each cytokine at the onset of encephalitis was not significantly different between the two groups, except IL‐5. However, higher levels of IL‐6, IL‐7, and MCP‐1 and lower levels of IL‐12 were observed 1 week before the development of encephalitis in patients with poor prognosis (median IL‐6; 464.17 pg/mL vs 47.82 pg/mL, P = .02; median IL‐12; 1.63 pg/mL vs 6.57 pg/mL, P = .03).

Conclusion

We found that one week before onset of HHV‐6B encephalitis, poor prognosis patients had high plasma concentrations of IL‐6, IL‐7, and MCP‐1 and low concentrations of IL‐12. At the onset of encephalitis, high concentrations of IL‐6 and IL‐8 in CSF were more common in the poor prognosis group, consistent with other evidence that IL‐6 can have a role in CNS disturbances. Our findings show that specific cytokine status is associated with severe brain damage in patients with HHV‐6B encephalitis, demonstrate prognostic value of plasma IL‐6 concentrations, and suggest evaluation of anti‐cytokine therapeutics in patients with HHV‐6B encephalitis.
DNA‐HPV transition rate and related factors in HPV‐infected women in Can Tho city, Vietnam
Authors: Duong Linh My , Pham Linh Van , Pham Tam Thi , Tran Dung Ngoc , Bui Nghia Quang , Tran Hung Do , Vo Trang Huynh
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To determine DNA‐HPV transition rates and related factors in HPV‐infected women 18–69 years of age in Can Tho City from 2013 to 2018.

Methods

Both a retrospective and a prospective cohort study were done. Interviews, gynaecological examinations and HPV testing by PCR (cervical fluid) were used to collect data. The results were recorded and compared with those of HPV in 2013 to assess the development of HPV over time. Transition was defined as conversion to HPV‐positive state in 2018 from a negative state in 2013. No transition was defined as clearance of HPV when the positive 2013 result was negative in 2018 or when the result remained negative or positive in 2013 and 2018. Factors related to the change were analysed.

Results

Among a sample size of 204 cases, the average age of participants was 48.9 ± 10.4 years. Women >45 comprised 63.2% of participants; 82.8% lived with their husbands, 6.4% were divorced, and 2.9% lived apart from their husbands due to work. After 5 years of observation, 16.2% of DNA‐HPV cases had converted to HPV‐positive state and 66.2% of DNA‐HPV cases had cleared to HPV‐negative state. Factors related to conversion to HPV‐positive state were age ≤ 45 years (3.14 times higher risk of transition than in the >45 age group (95% CI: 1.12–8.8)); change of sexual partner (OR = 3.75 (95% CI: 1.15–12.2)); change of sexual partner by husband (OR = 3.69 (95% CI: 1.20–11.3); sexually transmitted diseases (OR = 5.19 (95% CI: 1.09–24.8)); and a history of vacuum aspiration or dilation and evacuation abortion (OR = 1.4 (95% CI: 0.29–6.4)).

Conclusions

16.2% of women with DNA‐HPV transition converted to HPV‐positive state. Changes in sexual habits increase the risk of developing HPV positivity.
Drug‐related problems in prescribing for coronary artery diseases in Vietnam: cross‐sectional study
Authors: Truong Thu T. A. , Phan Ngan K. , Vo Quyen V. , Diep Han G. , Vuong Huyen T. K. , Le Thanh V. , Nguyen Phuong M. , Nguyen Thang
Published: September 2019

Objectives

To determine the prevalence, patterns and determinants of drug‐related problems (DRPs) in prescribing for coronary artery diseases (CADs) in Vietnam.

Methods

Retrospective cross‐sectional study on outpatients with CADs at a general hospital in Can Tho, Vietnam. DRPs were classified according to Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe definitions. We determined the prevalence and patterns of DRPs. Logistic regression was used to identify the determinants of DRPs.

Results

Among 683 patients (mean age 63.4; 64.3% female), the prevalence of DRPs was 61.1%. DRPs comprised inappropriate indication (3.5%), inappropriate dosage (22.2%), wrong frequency of use (24.2%), wrong time of taking medications (4.1%), taking medications at the wrong time around meals (19.2%) and drug interactions (19.3%). Patients who took ≥ 5 drugs were more likely to have DRPs (adjusted odds ratio = 1.96; 95% confidence interval = 1.31–2.93). Patients without health insurance were more likely to have inappropriate indication (ORa = 2.93; 95%CI = 1.28–6.70). Taking medications at inappropriate times around meals was common among men (ORa = 1.82; 95%CI = 1.23–2.69) and among those with health insurance (ORa = 1.66; 95%CI = 1.05–2.63). Patients < 65 years old were more likely to be prescribed inappropriate doses (ORa = 1.67; 95%CI = 1.15–2.45). Prescriptions with ≥ 5 drugs were more likely to be taken at inappropriate frequency (ORa = 1.87; 95%CI = 1.09–3.21) and to cause drug interactions (ORa = 6.48; 95%CI = 2.59–16.24).

Conclusions

DRPs are common among patients with CADs in Vietnam. The number of DRPs increases with the number of drugs in prescriptions. Further studies should identify other potential determinants of DRPs and effective interventions to improve prescribing practice in Vietnam.
Manipulation of sucrose phloem and embryo loading affects pea leaf metabolism, carbon and nitrogen partitioning to sinks as well as seed storage pools
Authors: Lu Ming‐Zhu , Snyder Rachel , Grant Jan , Tegeder Mechthild
Published: September 2019

Seed development largely depends on the long‐distance transport of sucrose from photosynthetically active source leaves to seed sinks. This source‐to‐sink carbon allocation occurs in the phloem and requires the loading of sucrose into the leaf phloem and, at the sink end, its import into the growing embryo. Both tasks are achieved through the function of SUT sucrose transporters. In this study, we used vegetable peas (Pisum sativum L.), harvested for human consumption as immature seeds, as our model crop and simultaneously overexpressed the endogenous SUT1 transporter in the leaf phloem and in cotyledon epidermal cells where import into the embryo occurs. Using this ‘Push‐and‐Pull’ approach, the transgenic SUT1 plants displayed increased sucrose phloem loading and carbon movement from source to sink causing higher sucrose levels in developing pea seeds. The enhanced sucrose partitioning further led to improved photosynthesis rates, increased leaf nitrogen assimilation, and enhanced source‐to‐sink transport of amino acids. Embryo loading with amino acids was also increased in SUT1‐overexpressors resulting in higher protein levels in immature seeds. Further, transgenic plants grown until desiccation produced more seed protein and starch, as well as higher seed yields than the wild‐type plants. Together, the results demonstrate that the SUT1‐overexpressing plants with enhanced sucrose allocation to sinks adjust leaf carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and amino acid partitioning in order to accommodate the increased assimilate demand of growing seeds. We further provide evidence that the combined Push‐and‐Pull approach for enhancing carbon transport is a successful strategy for improving seed yields and nutritional quality in legumes.
Single organelle function and organization as estimated from Arabidopsis mitochondrial proteomics
Authors: Fuchs Philippe , Rugen Nils , Carrie Chris , Elsässer Marlene , Finkemeier Iris , Giese Jonas , Hildebrandt Tatjana M. , Kühn Kristina , Maurino Veronica G. , Ruberti Cristina , Schallenberg‐Rüdinger Mareike , Steinbeck Janina , Braun Hans‐Peter , Eubel Holger , Meyer Etienne H. , Müller‐Schüssele Stefanie J. , Schwarzländer Markus
Published: September 2019

Mitochondria host vital cellular functions, including oxidative phosphorylation and co‐factor biosynthesis, which are reflected in their proteome. At the cellular level plant mitochondria are organized into hundreds of discrete functional entities, which undergo dynamic fission and fusion. It is the individual organelle that operates in the living cell, yet biochemical and physiological assessments have exclusively focused on the characteristics of large populations of mitochondria. Here, we explore the protein composition of an individual average plant mitochondrion to deduce principles of functional and structural organisation. We perform proteomics on purified mitochondria from cultured heterotrophic Arabidopsis cells with intensity‐based absolute quantification and scale the dataset to the single organelle based on criteria that are justified by experimental evidence and theoretical considerations. We estimate that a total of 1.4 million protein molecules make up a single Arabidopsis mitochondrion on average. Copy numbers of the individual proteins span five orders of magnitude, ranging from >40 000 for Voltage‐Dependent Anion Channel 1 to sub‐stoichiometric copy numbers, i.e. less than a single copy per single mitochondrion, for several pentatricopeptide repeat proteins that modify mitochondrial transcripts. For our analysis, we consider the physical and chemical constraints of the single organelle and discuss prominent features of mitochondrial architecture, protein biogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation, metabolism, antioxidant defence, genome maintenance, gene expression, and dynamics. While assessing the limitations of our considerations, we exemplify how our understanding of biochemical function and structural organization of plant mitochondria can be connected in order to obtain global and specific insights into how organelles work.
Construction and applications of a B vitamin genetic resource for investigation of vitamin‐dependent metabolism in maize
Authors: Suzuki Masaharu , Wu Shan , Mimura Manaki , Alseekh Saleh , Fernie Alisdair R. , Hanson Andrew D. , McCarty Donald R.
Published: September 2019

The B vitamins provide essential co‐factors for central metabolism in all organisms. In plants, B vitamins have surprising emerging roles in development, stress tolerance and pathogen resistance. Hence, there is a paramount interest in understanding the regulation of vitamin biosynthesis as well as the consequences of vitamin deficiency in crop species. To facilitate genetic analysis of B vitamin biosynthesis and functions in maize, we have mined the UniformMu transposon resource to identify insertional mutations in vitamin pathway genes. A screen of 190 insertion lines for seed and seedling phenotypes identified mutations in biotin, pyridoxine and niacin biosynthetic pathways. Importantly, isolation of independent insertion alleles enabled genetic confirmation of genotype‐to‐phenotype associations. Because B vitamins are essential for survival, null mutations often have embryo lethal phenotypes that prevent elucidation of subtle, but physiologically important, metabolic consequences of sub‐optimal (functional) vitamin status. To circumvent this barrier, we demonstrate a strategy for refined genetic manipulation of vitamin status based on construction of heterozygotes that combine strong and hypomorphic mutant alleles. Dosage analysis of pdx2 alleles in endosperm revealed that endosperm supplies pyridoxine to the developing embryo. Similarly, a hypomorphic bio1 allele enabled analysis of transcriptome and metabolome responses to incipient biotin deficiency in seedling leaves. We show that systemic pipecolic acid accumulation is an early metabolic response to sub‐optimal biotin status highlighting an intriguing connection between biotin, lysine metabolism and systemic disease resistance signaling. Seed‐stocks carrying insertions for vitamin pathway genes are available for free, public distribution via the Maize Genetics Cooperation Stock Center.
Extending aspirations: Taipei street performers and collaborative possibility
Authors: Tan Xin Wei Andy , Bunnell Tim
Published: September 2019

This paper seeks to extend geographical research on aspiration beyond existing scholarship in Britain that focuses on the political discourses of aspiration and individual emotional responses to uncertain neoliberal futures. Drawing on anthropological work on social navigation and aspirational future‐making in cities elsewhere, we examine how aspiring Taipei street performers navigate the streets and wider environments of opportunity and constraint. Our ethnographic work shows that while Taipei street performers navigate individually, they also collaborate in two broad ways. First, in situ via temporary groupings, sustained partnerships and fan communities. Second, relationally by forming a learning/support community and a street art association to increase their terms of recognition with the public and the state. These collaborations challenge the stereotypical individualistic profile of cultural workers in a post‐industrial cultural economy. The collaborative actions of Taipei street performers exceed conventional neoliberal logics of inter‐city competitiveness to include progressive notions of mutual care, volunteerism, and the formation of a collective identity to engage the state. Although Taipei street performers’ socio‐spatial forms of navigation are not cast in overtly political terms, either in drawing from historical antecedents or in contesting neoliberalisation, they are nevertheless significant in wider geographies of the political. We contribute to a growing body of work that looks beyond the inheritance of collective politics in the Keynesian West as the sole form of push back against the ills of neoliberal urbanism, and that is open to the possibility of a variety of other collective formations in other parts of the urban world informing progressive future‐making.
Serotonin exerts a direct modulatory role on bladder afferent firing in mice
Authors: Konthapakdee N. , Grundy L. , O'Donnell T. , Garcia‐Caraballo S. , Brierley S. M. , Grundy D. , Daly D. M.
Published: September 2019

Key points

Functional disorders (i.e. interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome) are associated with hyperexcitability of afferent nerves innervating the urinary tract and the bowel, respectively.

Various non‐5‐HT3 receptor mRNA transcripts are expressed in mouse urothelium and exert functional responses to 5‐HT.

Whilst 5‐HT3 receptors were not detected in mouse urothelium, 5‐HT3 receptors expressed on bladder sensory neurons plays a role in bladder afferent excitability both under normal conditions and in a mouse model of chronic visceral hypersensitivity.

These data suggest that the role 5‐HT3 receptors play in bladder afferent signalling warrants further study as a potential therapeutic target for functional bladder disorders.

Serotonin (5‐HT) is an excitatory mediator that in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract plays a physiological role in gut–brain signalling and is dysregulated in functional GI disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Patients suffering from IBS frequently suffer from urological symptoms characteristic of interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome, which manifests due to cross‐sensitization of shared innervation pathways between the bladder and colon. However, a direct modulatory role of 5‐HT in bladder afferent signalling and its role in colon–bladder neuronal crosstalk remain elusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the action of 5‐HT on bladder afferent signalling in normal mice and mice with chronic visceral hypersensitivity (CVH) following trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid‐induced colitis. Bladder afferent activity was recorded directly using ex vivo afferent nerve recordings. Expression of 14 5‐HT receptor subtypes, the serotonin transporter (SERT) and 5‐HT‐producing enzymes was determined in the urothelium using RT‐PCR. Retrograde labelling of bladder‐projecting dorsal root ganglion neurons was used to investigate expression of 5‐HT3 receptors using single cell RT‐PCR, while sensory neuronal and urothelial responses to 5‐HT were determined by live cell calcium imaging. 5‐HT elicited bladder afferent firing predominantly via 5‐HT3 receptors expressed on afferent terminals. CVH animals showed a downregulation of SERT mRNA expression in urothelium, suggesting increased 5‐HT bioavailability. Granisetron, a 5‐HT3 antagonist, reversed bladder afferent hypersensitivity in CVH mice. These data suggest 5‐HT exerts a direct effect on bladder afferents to enhance signalling. 5‐HT3 antagonists could therefore be a potential therapeutic target to treat functional bladder and bowel disorders.
High-Resolution RANS Simulations of Flow Past a Surface-Mounted Cube Using Eddy-Viscosity Closure Models
Authors: Goldbach Marc C. , Uddin Mesbah
Published: September 2019

While Reynolds-averaged simulations have found success in the evaluation of many canonical shear flows and moderately separated flows, their application to highly separated flows have shown notable deficiencies. This study aimed to investigate these deficiencies in the eddy-viscosity formulation of four commonly used turbulence models under separated flow in an attempt to aid in the improved formulation of such models. Analyses are performed on the flow field around a wall-mounted cube (WMC) at a Reynolds number of 40,000 based on the cube height, h, and freestream velocity, U0. While a common occurrence in industrial applications, this type of flow constitutes a complex structure exhibiting a large separated wake region, high anisotropy, and multiple vortex structures. As well, interactions between vortices developed off of different faces of the cube significantly alter the overall flow characteristics, posing a significant challenge for the commonly used industrial turbulence models. Comparison of mean flow characteristics show remarkable agreement between experimental values and turbulence models which are capable of predicting transitional flow. Evaluation of turbulence parameters show the general underestimation of Reynolds stress for transitional models, while fully turbulent models show this value to be overestimated, resulting in completely disparate representations of mean flow structures between the two classes of models (transitional and fully turbulent).
Categorization of Seismic Loadings for Components and Piping Systems
Authors: Tamura Ichiro , Matsuura Shinichi , Shimazu Ryuya , Kimura Koji
Published: September 2019

To investigate the behavior of components and piping systems subjected to seismic loadings, the maximum restoring forces and maximum deformations of inelastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems due to harmonic excitations and seismic floor motions are calculated and presented as diagrams. These systems have restoring forces characterized by a bilinear skeleton curve of a kinematic hardening rule. The diagrams show two types of characteristics, based upon which sinusoidal loadings can be categorized into force- and displacement-controlled loadings, and seismic loadings can be categorized into force- and displacement-dominant loadings, which are newly proposed herein. The characteristics of force- and displacement-dominant loadings are almost equal to those of force- and displacement-controlled loadings, respectively.
Closure to “Discussion of ‘Consideration of a Stress-Based Criterion for Local Failure and Its Implementation in a Damage Mechanics Model’ ” (Nakamura, H., 2019, ASME J. Pressure Vessel Technol., 141(4), p. 041405)
Authors: Nakamura Hitoshi
Published: September 2019

The present commentary concerns some doubtful results included in the discussed paper.
The Effect of Different Intervention Approaches on Gross Motor Outcomes of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Case Layne , Yun Joonkoo
Published: September 2019

Despite the rising interest in intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder, the extent to which interventions are effective on gross motor outcomes is currently unknown. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of different intervention approaches on gross motor outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorder using meta-analysis. A total of 18 studies met the inclusion criteria for quantitative analysis. Pre- and posttest means andSDs were extracted to calculate effect sizes. Potential moderator variables were chosen based on important intervention characteristics. The results suggest that interventions have a large effect on gross motor outcomes among children with autism spectrum disorder (δ = 0.99,SE = 0.19,p < .001, 95% confidence interval [0.62, 1.36]). The interventions that were 16 total hours or longer had a significantly larger effect than those less than 16 hr. In addition, the interventions in experimental settings had significantly larger effects than the interventions in practical settings. Future interventions should consider intensity, including not only the duration of the intervention but also the intensity in which specific intervention goals are targeted.
The Effect of Systematic Prompting on the Acquisition of Five Muscle-Strengthening Exercises by Adults With Mild Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Obrusnikova Iva , Novak Haley M. , Cavalier Albert R.
Published: September 2019

Adults with intellectual disability have significantly lower musculoskeletal fitness than their peers without a disability. Appropriate instructional strategies are needed to facilitate their acquisition and maintenance of musculoskeletal fitness. In this multiple-baseline across-participants single-subject study, the authors evaluated the effects of a multicomponent package that included a video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompts on the acquisition of 5 muscle-strengthening exercises in 3 women with mild intellectual disability, age 24–37 yr. Results show substantive gains in correct and independent performance of steps in the 5 exercises during the treatment condition. The improved performance was maintained 2 wk after the last treatment session and in a large YMCA gym. The study suggests that use of the video-enhanced system of least-to-most prompts can lead to improved acquisition and maintenance of muscle-strengthening exercises by adults with mild intellectual disability.
Perceptions of the Built Environment and Support for Policies That Promote Physical Activity
Authors: Gustat Jeanette , Anderson Christopher E. , O’Malley Keelia , Hu Tian , Tabak Rachel G. , Goins Karin Valentine , Valko Cheryl , Litt Jill S. , Eyler Amy A.
Published: September 2019

Background: To assess how perceptions of the community built environment influence support for community policies that promote physical activity (PA). Methods: A national cross-sectional survey assessed perceptions of the local built environment and support of community policies, including school and workplace policies, promoting PA. A random digit–dialed telephone survey was conducted in US counties selected on Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data for high or low prevalence of obesity and inactivity. A total of 1208 subjects were interviewed, 642 from high-prevalence counties and 566 from low-prevalence counties. Analyses were stratified by county prevalence of obesity and inactivity (high or low). Linear models adjusted for covariates were constructed to assess the influence of built environment perceptions on policy support. Results: Perception of more destinations near the residence was associated with increased support for community policies that promote PA, including tax increases in low-prevalence (obesity and inactivity) counties (P < .01). Positive perception of the workplace environment was associated (P < .001) with increased support for workplace policies among those in high-, but not low-, prevalence counties. Conclusions: Support for community policies promoting PA varies by perception of the built environment, which has implications for policy change.
Intensity-Weighted Physical Activity Volume and Risk of All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality: Does the Use of Absolute or Corrected Intensity Matter?
Authors: Martenstyn Jordan Andre , Powell Lauren , Nassar Natasha , Hamer Mark , Stamatakis Emmanuel
Published: September 2019

Background: Previous epidemiological studies examining the association between physical activity (PA) and mortality risk have measured absolute PA intensity using standard resting metabolic rate reference values that fail to consider individual differences. This study compared the risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality between absolute and corrected estimates of PA volume. Methods: 49,982 adults aged ≥40 years who participated in the Health Survey for England and Scottish Health Survey in 1994–2008 were included in our study. PA was classified as absolute or corrected metabolic equivalent (MET)-hours per week, taking participant’s weight, height, age, and sex into account. Cox regression models were used to examine the association between absolute and corrected PA volumes and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results: The authors found no difference in the association between levels of PA and risk of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality for absolute and corrected MET-hours per week, although there was a consistent decrease in mortality risk with increasing PA. There was no difference in mortality when analyses were stratified by sex, age, and body mass index. Conclusions: The association between PA volume and risk of mortality was similar regardless of whether PA volume was estimated using absolute or corrected METs. There is no empirical justification against the use of absolute METs to estimate PA volume from questionnaires.
Temporal Variations in the Relationship Between Legacies and Support: A Longitudinal Case Study in Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Authors: Rocha Claudio M.
Published: September 2019

The purpose of this research was to describe temporal variations in Rio residents’ support for the 2016 Olympic Games and in the relationship between perceptions of legacies and support for the event. Drawing on social exchange theory, perceptions (expectations and evaluations) of tangible, intangible, and environmental legacies should affect support intentions. A longitudinal trend study was designed. Four multistage stratified random samples of Rio residents were surveyed in 2012 (n = 900), 2014 (n = 900), 2016 (n = 723), and 2018 (n = 550). Results showed that perceptions of legacies and support for Rio 2016 Olympic Games decreased progressively from 2012 to 2018. In the early stages of preparation (2012 and 2014), expectations of intangible and environmental legacies were predictors of support. In the year of the event and 2 years after the event, perceptions of tangible legacies were predictors of support. Longitudinal findings show that, to gain support, organizers promise unattainable legacies, which then lead to dwindling support, as they fail to deliver them. Findings suggest that organizers’ plans and actions of sport mega-events must change.
Control of the
phoBR
Regulon in
Escherichia coli
Authors: Gardner Stewart G. , McCleary William R.
Published: September 2019

Phosphorus is required for many biological molecules and essential functions, including DNA replication, transcription of RNA, protein translation, posttranslational modifications, and numerous facets of metabolism. In order to maintain the proper level of phosphate for these processes, many bacteria adapt to changes in environmental phosphate levels. The mechanisms for sensing phosphate levels and adapting to changes have been extensively studied for multiple organisms. The phosphate response of
Escherichia coli
alters the expression of numerous genes, many of which are involved in the acquisition and scavenging of phosphate more efficiently. This review shares findings on the mechanisms by which
E. coli
cells sense and respond to changes in environmental inorganic phosphate concentrations by reviewing the genes and proteins that regulate this response. The PhoR/PhoB two-component signal transduction system is central to this process and works in association with the high-affinity phosphate transporter encoded by the
pstSCAB
genes and the PhoU protein. Multiple models to explain how this process is regulated are discussed.
PHC Progression Model: a novel mixed-methods tool for measuring primary health care system capacity
Authors: Ratcliffe Hannah L , Schwarz Dan , Hirschhorn Lisa R , Cejas Cintia , Diallo Abdoulaye , Garcia-Elorrio Ezequiel , Fifield Jocelyn , Gashumba Diane , Hartshorn Lucy , Leydon Nicholas , Mohamed Mohamed , Nakamura Yoriko , Ndiaye Youssoupha , Novignon Jacob , Ofosu Anthony , Roder-DeWan Sanam , Rwiyereka Angelique , Secci Federica , Veillard Jeremy H , Bitton Asaf
Published: September 2019

High-performing primary health care (PHC) is essential for achieving universal health coverage. However, in many countries, PHC is weak and unable to deliver on its potential. Improvement is often limited by a lack of actionable data to inform policies and set priorities. To address this gap, the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) was formed to strengthen measurement of PHC in low-income and middle-income countries in order to accelerate improvement. PHCPI’s Vital Signs Profile was designed to provide a comprehensive snapshot of the performance of a country’s PHC system, yet quantitative information about PHC systems’ capacity to deliver high-quality, effective care was limited by the scarcity of existing data sources and metrics. To systematically measure the capacity of PHC systems, PHCPI developed the PHC Progression Model, a rubric-based mixed-methods assessment tool. The PHC Progression Model is completed through a participatory process by in-country teams and subsequently reviewed by PHCPI to validate results and ensure consistency across countries. In 2018, PHCPI partnered with five countries to pilot the tool and found that it was feasible to implement with fidelity, produced valid results, and was highly acceptable and useful to stakeholders. Pilot results showed that both the participatory assessment process and resulting findings yielded novel and actionable insights into PHC strengths and weaknesses. Based on these positive early results, PHCPI will support expansion of the PHC Progression Model to additional countries to systematically and comprehensively measure PHC system capacity in order to identify and prioritise targeted improvement efforts.
Association of faecal pH with childhood stunting: Results from a cross-sectional study
Authors: Hossain Md. Shabab , Das Subhasish , Gazi Md. Amran , Alam Md. Ashraful , Haque Nur Muhammad Shahedul , Mahfuz Mustafa , Ahmed Tahmeed , Damman Chris J
Published: September 2019

Background

Gut microbiota plays an important role in the growth of children. The gut of children with optimum growth is enriched in certain species, especiallyBifidobacteriaandClostridia. BifidobacteriaandcommensalClostridiaboth contribute to formation of acidic stool, and an elevated faecal pH indicates reduction of these species in the gut. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association of faecal pH with childhood stunting.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 100 children with length-for-age Z score (LAZ) <−1 aged between 12 and 18 months were enrolled from the ongoing Bangladesh Environmental Enteric Dysfunction study conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh. LAZ was measured by anthropometry and data on factors affecting linear growth were recorded. Faecal pH measurement was done using pH metre on freshly collected non-diarrhoeal faecal samples following standard procedure. Multiple quantile regression was done to quantify the relation between faecal pH and LAZ scores.

Results

The mean LAZ and faecal pH of the children were −2.12±0.80 and 5.84±1.11, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis showed a statistically significant negative correlation between stool pH and the LAZ scores (p<0.01). After inclusion of other factors affecting linear growth into the regression model, a statistically significant inverse association was observed between faecal pH and LAZ score (p<0.01).

Conclusion

Elevated faecal pH was found to have a significant association with stunted growth. As an indicator of gut microbiota status, faecal pH might have emerged as a possible indirect determinant of childhood stunting.

Trial registration number

NCT02812615
Hypernatraemia following surgery for a congenital extrahepatic portosystemic shunt in a Shih Tzu presenting with marked polyuria and polydipsia
Authors: Andreoni Valentina , Johnstone Thurid , Furneaux Robert
Published: September 2019

A 3‐year‐old male Shih Tzu was referred to the University Veterinary Hospital of the University College Dublin with a suspicion of congenital hepatopathy based on investigations performed by the referring veterinarian. Presenting signs were polyuria and polydipsia, vomiting, picky appetite and weight loss. Liver function test abnormalities and hyposthenuric urine were found during diagnostic work‐up. Abdominal ultrasound identified an extrahepatic portosystemic shunt, which was temporarily occluded using a Rummel tourniquet and then completely ligated with nylon. Recovery was smooth and uneventful. Behavioural activity was considered normal until the next day when the dog developed tonic–clonic seizures. Clinicopathological assessment revealed hypernatraemia as the potential cause of the seizures. Despite intensive care, the patient died. Post‐mortem findings were consistent with cerebral oedema and acute cerebrocortical necrosis.
Friedmann-like universes with weak torsion: a dynamical system approach
Authors: Barrow John D. , Tsagas Christos G. , Fanaras Georgios
Published: September 2019

We consider Friedmann-like universes with torsion and take a step towards studying their stability. In so doing, we apply dynamical-system techniques to an autonomous system of differential equations, which monitors the evolution of these models via the associated density parameters. Assuming relatively weak torsion, we identify the system’s equilibrium points. These are found to represent homogeneous and isotropic spacetimes with nonzero torsion that undergo accelerated expansion. We then examine the linear stability of the aforementioned fixed points. Our results indicate that Friedmann-like cosmologies with weak torsion are generally stable attractors, either asymptotically or in the Lyapunov sense. In addition, depending on the equation of state of the matter, the equilibrium states can also act as intermediate saddle points, marking a transition from a torsional to a torsion-free universe.
Direct search constraints on very heavy dark skyrmions
Authors: Berezowski Madeline , Dick Rainer
Published: September 2019

In the standard dark matter creation scenario, dark matter arises from freeze-out due to decoupling from the thermal heat bath in the early universe. On the other hand, topological solitons can also emerge during phase transitions through the Kibble–Zurek mechanism or through bubble nucleation. In particular, Murayama and Shu found that the Kibble–Zurek mechanism can produce topological defects up to about 10 PeV, and Bramante et al. had recently pointed out that direct search constraints can be extrapolated to very large masses. Motivated by these observations, we examine direct search constraints for PeV scale dark skyrmions with a Higgs portal coupling to baryons. We find abundance constraints on the combination $$g_V^2M_S$$gV2MS of Skyrme coupling $$g_V$$gV and skyrmion mass $$M_S$$MS. We also find that extrapolation of the direct search constraints from XENON1T to very high masses constrains the combination $$g_{wh}/g_V^4$$gwh/gV4 as a function of $$M_S$$MS, where $$g_{wh}$$gwh is the Higgs portal coupling of the dark skyrmions.
Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Women 50 Years or Younger
Authors: Dalén Magnus , Nielsen Susanne , Ivert Torbjörn , Holzmann Martin J. , Sartipy Ulrik
Published: September 2019

Background

Prior research has shown higher mortality in women with severe coronary artery disease compared with men, particularly in younger patients. It is unknown if this could be attributable to an adverse risk factor profile.

Methods and Results

In a population‐based cohort study, we included all adults ≤50 years of age (932 women and 4514 men) who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting from 1995 to 2013 from the SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence‐Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) register. Following inverse probability of treatment weighting, we investigated differences between women and men. Women had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors compared with men. There was no difference in early mortality between women and men (unadjusted: 1.3% versus 0.9%; hazard ratio, 1.42; 95% CI, 0.75–2.70; weighted sample: 1.1% versus 1.0%; hazard ratio, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.52–2.30). During a median follow‐up time of 11.8 years, in the unweighted population, the risk of death was greater in women compared with men (hazard ratio, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.13–1.58). However, in the weighted sample, the risk of death was not significantly different in women compared with men (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.83–1.26).

Conclusions

Women ≤50 years of age had a higher unadjusted risk of death after coronary artery bypass grafting compared with men, but this was explained by a clustering of cardiovascular risk factors. Female sex per se was not associated with increased mortality or major adverse cardiovascular events. Early mortality was not increased in women compared with men, even though younger women in our study had an increased burden of risk factors known to affect early risk.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
02276950.
Strawberries and Cream: On Esfir Shub and the Revolutionary Object
Authors: Leslie Esther
Published: September 2019

Avant-garde filmmakers in the Soviet Union argued over the merits of the played film and the documentary film. They argued about the duration of shots, long or short. They questioned what constituted filmic material, camera subjectivity, the objective fact and whether film extended the eyes, and the capacity to see, or whether it wielded a fist, augmenting or bashing feelings. Shub contributed to these discussions, not least through her own film work, produced out of a combination of commitment and necessity. This paper traces these discussions and Shub’s role within them through a focus on two objects and the way in which they come to appear in film and film-discourse: strawberries and cream. The strawberries are drawn initially from Shklovsky’s comments on the inequities of US agriculture in his Journey to the Land of Movies (1926) and the cream stems from Eisenstein’s mechanical separator in The Old and the New (1929). Shub’s particular take on the object in her film work will emerge through the dialectical tensions of two objects.
The Struggle for the Soul of Twelver Shiʿism in Qajar Iran
Authors: Momen Moojan
Published: September 2019

From the 1770s onwards, there was a struggle for the soul of Shiʿism in Iran – a struggle over what the true nature of religion should be. On one side was the dominant Uṣūlī religious hierarchy, focused on the Shariʿa and asserting that its rationalist methodology was the path to true knowledge. On the other side was a succession of four movements: Akhbārī, Shaykhī, Bābī, and Bahāʾī. This paper examines the evidence for the continuity between these four movements by looking at patterns of affiliation among individuals and families in Iran. It also describes how, despite different ideas regarding the source of true knowledge, the factors that united these four movements were their rejection of excessive clerical control of individual and social life and their belief that religious life should be focused on love for the representative of the Divine among humanity and on the development of personal spiritual qualities.
Arab Nation-building through Detective Stories in al-Ḍiyāʾ: The Cultural Translations of Nasīb al-Mashʿalānī
Authors: Zachs Fruma , Bawardi Basilius
Published: September 2019

This article examines detective stories translated by Nasīb al-Mashʿalānī published in the periodical al-Ḍiyāʾ (“The Gleam”) and their contribution to the process of Arab nation-building at the turn of the twentieth century. We show how al-Mashʿalānī’s work consisted of a cultural process rather than a textual product or linguistic transfer. These translations introduced new social, political and epistemological concepts that were particularly important to societal changes in the Arab world – such as the notion of civil society, the relationship of the public to institutions of law and the police, the pursuit of justice, and ways of dealing with crime in the Western model of law and order – that al-Mashʿalānī deliberately adapted to the local Arab culture.
Words, Demons, and Illness
Authors: Liu Yan
Published: September 2019

This article examines a salient medical practice in medieval China: healing by incantation. Focusing on the seventh century, when the status of incantatory healing reached its apex, I show how the Tang court incorporated the technique into its medical institutions and how physicians used it to treat diverse illnesses. In particular, this article investigates incantation from an etiological perspective. By studying the incantatory remedies of the famous physician Sun Simiao, I reveal an etiological eclecticism that encompassed both demonic and functional causes of illness. This demonstrates a strong practical sensibility in Sun’s works. A further study of vermin (particularly worms), which were etiologically related yet different from demons, shows the entanglement of the two etiologies that tied the activity of worms to the physiology of the body. These observations suggest that medieval Chinese medicine often involved the working of multiple etiologies in a linked and dynamic manner.
The Food of Meditation
Authors: Garrett Frances
Published: September 2019

Beginning with stories of hunger and food magic in Tibetan biographies, I explore a dietary practice of total abstinence from material foods. Buddhist meditators are said to enjoy “the food of meditation” or “the food of the sky.” Texts teach meditators how to use visualization and yogic movement to “extract the essence” of breath and use it as food. When discussing illnesses that may be experienced by retreatants, these texts identify hunger as illness. Examining how dietary teachings for Buddhist contemplatives are also medical textbooks, I propose that these food practices reconstruct the pathology of hunger, turning hunger into a tool for enlightenment. After a quick look at dietary asceticism in Indic and other traditions, I suggest that in these Tibetan examples, dietary abstinence is ultimately about self-perfection.
“Universe Energy”
Authors: Stein Justin B.
Published: September 2019

Reiki practitioners commonly claim to channel a power called reiki that is capable of physical, mental, and spiritual healing. Prior scholarship has assumed that the concept of reiki has remained similar from Reiki’s founding in 1922 Japan to the present day, when it is practiced worldwide. This article presents a genealogy of reiki from Reiki’s early days in Japan to its adaptations for the Japanese American community of Hawai‘i in the 1930s and for white Americans in the postwar decades, and its return to Japan in the 1980s. It shows that, over time, reiki became understood as “energy,” in part as an appeal to scientific authority, and as “universal,” in the dual sense that it pervades the cosmos and is accessible to all people. In the back-translation of “universal energy” into Japanese, this double meaning of “universal” in English was lost but, as “universe energy” (uchū enerugii), took on new, extraterrestrial connotations.
Mainstreaming Marginality
Authors: Blaikie Calum
Published: September 2019

This article examines the “mainstreaming” of Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) into primary healthcare in Ladakh, Himalayan India. It explores fields largely overlooked by existing studies of medical integration, such as the social dynamics of public health facilities, the effects of limited drug supplies, and changes in medicine production. Although Sowa Rigpa practitioners experience aspects of their integration as positive, it is also forcing approaches toward prescription practice, patient care, and pharmaceutical production that are at odds with their clinical, social, ethical, and practical grounding. The article argues that integration is exacerbating existing inequalities while creating new forms of hardship and marginality. However, paradoxically, only by occupying such marginal spaces can the amchi continue practicing Sowa Rigpa in a recognizable form. The article later reflects on what the Ladakhi case tells us about the Indian government’s policy of “rational integration” and contributes to debates concerning subaltern therapeutic modes and medical pluralism.
#TurkeyIsNotAChicken
Authors: Yesil Bilge
Published: September 2019

In this article, I analyze pro-AKP actors’ grassroots communications in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 coup attempt. I explore the Twitter participation of non-state actors in this momentous political event, with the specific aim of shaping western audiences’ understanding of the failed coup and countering western criticism of post-coup security measures. I do not evaluate pro-AKP netizens’ Twitter communications in terms of their effectiveness in influencing western public opinion; instead I focus on the underlying anti-hegemonic and Occidentalist ideological positions. Through a discourse analysis of English-language Twitter posts, I argue that the engagement of non-state actors on behalf of the AKP government was not simply informed by nationalist mobilization, but rather by an Occidentalist exigency to invert the hegemonic western discourse about Turkey and Turks.
Local Broadcasting as Tactical Media
Authors: Algan Ece
Published: September 2019

Against the backdrop of struggles that local broadcasters in Turkey who advocate for Kurdish minority rights have endured, I discuss local broadcast journalists’ tactics for creating and maintaining programming that caters to the ongoing Kurdish conflict. Local ethnic broadcasting in Kurdish provinces has long strived to offer an alternative discourse than that of the state propaganda and to mobilize political support within and outside Turkey. In order to illustrate the role of Kurdish activist journalism in political mobilization, I analyze examples of local radio programming from 2010 to 2013, a period during which broadcasters in Kurdish provinces enjoyed relative freedom. I aim to illustrate the instrumentality of activist journalism in an authoritarian regime, and the ways in which local broadcasting is utilized as tactical media by both activist journalists and the community they serve.