bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fire resilience of a rare, freshwater crustacean in a fire‐prone ecosystem and the implications for fire management
Authors: Driessen Michael M.
Published: May 2019

Understanding species’ responses to fire regimes, particularly rare or threatened species, is important for land managers tasked with managing for biodiversity. Hickman's Allanaspides (Allanaspides hickmani, Anaspidesidae) is a rare, primitive, shrimp‐like crustacean, with high conservation value. It is restricted to a single catchment in the island state of Tasmania, Australia, where it occurs within moorland pools typically containing crayfish (Ombrastacoides spp.) burrows. Although its moorland habitat has a long history of firing, adverse fire regimes are a potential threat to the species. A large part of its range is subject to planned burning to help manage the detrimental effects of high‐intensity wildfires. The resilience of A. hickmani to low–moderate‐intensity fires was investigated over 13 years using a replicated before‐after‐control‐impact design. The fires resulted in an initial reduction in vegetation cover and surface water and an increase in water temperature. There was no effect of fire on A. hickmani captures 4 months after small‐scale, low‐intensity autumn burns. However, 5 months later, following an unintended larger‐scale, medium‐intensity spring burn, there was an 80–90% reduction in A. hickmani captures and their numbers did not recover until 6–9 years post‐fire. It is not known whether the reduced catch was due to a reduction in the number of A. hickmani or their movement from pools into crayfish burrows. These findings together with evidence of a varied fire history, including high‐intensity wildfires, within their range suggests that A. hickmani and its habitat are resilient to a range of fire frequencies and intensities provided that the fire regime does not degrade or lead to a complete loss of peat. Climate change predictions for warmer and drier summers in western Tasmania will increase the risk of peat loss. Planned burning is likely to be important for the protection of A. hickmani habitat from predicted adverse fire regimes.
Outpatient vs inpatient total laparoscopic hysterectomy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Christiansen Ulla J. , Kruse Anne R. , Olesen Peter G. , Lauszus Finn F. , Kesmodel Ulrik S. , Forman Axel
Published: May 2019

Introduction

The objective of the study was to investigate whether outpatient total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH) could be performed as a routine without compromising patient satisfaction. The main outcomes were patient satisfaction with length of hospital stay, quality of life, complications and readmissions, and time to return to work.

Material and methods

A non‐blinded prospective randomized controlled trial (Canadian Task Force classification I) performed in a single‐center teaching hospital in Denmark. A total of 204 women scheduled for TLH on benign indication were randomized to same‐day discharge or overnight stay after TLH. Visual analogue scales (VAS), a validated questionnaire EQ‐5D, and a diary were filled in pre‐ and postoperatively. VAS scores on satisfaction with length of hospital stay and pain were administered taken with the EQ‐5D and the diary during a follow up over 4 weeks. Student's t test, Chi‐square and non‐parametric statistics were used for analysis. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02933047.

Results

A total of 204 women gave informed consent and 203 underwent surgery (101 outpatient and 102 inpatient women). Complete data were available for 76 women in the outpatient group and 86 women in the inpatient group. There were no differences in baseline characteristics. No group differences were found in satisfaction with length of hospital stay (P = 0.35). The EQ‐5D revealed no difference in patient satisfaction. However, one‐third in the outpatient group chose overnight stay without medical indication. The groups were comparable in clinical outcomes. Sick leave was longer in the outpatient group regardless of the actual treatment (P = 0.015).

Conclusions

Routine outpatient TLH implies that one‐third of the patients stay overnight if this option is available without medical indication. Within this context the procedure can be performed with high patient satisfaction, but may lengthen the time to return to work.
The association between hepatocellular carcinoma and direct‐acting anti‐viral treatment in patients with decompensated cirrhosis
Authors: Mecci Ali Jibran , Kemos Polychronis , Leen Clifford , Lawson Adam , Richardson Paul , Khakoo Salim I. , Agarwal Kosh , Mutimer David , Rosenberg William M. , Foster Graham R. , Irving William L. ,   on behalf of HCV Research UK
Published: May 2019

Background

Direct‐acting anti‐viral therapy (DAA) has transformed hepatitis C virus (HCV) care, particularly in patients with decompensated cirrhosis. However, their impact on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear.

Aim

To use a national registry of patients with advanced liver disease to explore the relationship between DAA therapy and HCC.

Methods

All patients with de novo HCC post DAA therapy were frequency matched with patients who did not develop HCC. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were obtained. Cross‐sectional imaging and multidisciplinary team reports were reviewed for dates of HCC diagnosis and HCC progression. Patients were categorised by treatment outcome and time of HCC development. Data were examined by multivariable analysis and Kaplan‐Meier estimation.

Results

Eighty patients with HCC were compared with 165 patients without HCC, treated between June 2014 and September 2015. Mean follow‐up from start of DAA therapy was 32.4 months. Twenty‐eight patients were diagnosed with early HCC (within 6 months of therapy) and 52 presented late. Baseline nonmalignant lesions (HR: 1.99), thrombocytopaenia (HR: 1.59) and diabetes (HR: 1.68) increased likelihood of HCC. Response to therapy was reduced in patients who developed liver cancer (SVR in patients with HCC = 54/80 (68%), SVR in patients without HCC = 143/165 (87%), P < 0.001, OR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.64‐5.99). We found no difference between tumour size, progression or survival between viraemic and nonviraemic patients.

Conclusion

There is no alteration in prognosis or cancer progression following HCC development after HCV treatment. However, baseline nonmalignant liver lesions, diabetes and thrombocytopaenia increase the risk of HCC, and HCC is associated with a decreased SVR rate.
Production of lipid mediators in mastitic milk of cow
Authors: Hayashi Akane , Fujii Shota , Nakamura Tatsuro , Kobayashi Koji , Sakatani Miki , Endo Maiko , Takahashi Tomotsugu , Murata Takahisa
Published: May 2019

Bovine mastitis is one of the most prevalent and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Lipid mediators are signaling molecules which coordinately and intricately modulate inflammation. They are produced from polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in the cellular membrane via several enzymes including cyclooxygenase (COX) and lipoxygenase (LOX). In the present study, we performed comprehensive analysis of lipid production in milk obtained from clinical or subclinical mastitic cows using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. We detected 26, 24, and 40 kinds of lipid constantly in healthy, subclinical, and clinical mastitic milk, respectively. In clinical mastitic milk, the amount of a major n‐6 PUFA, arachidonic acid (AA), tended to increase, whereas amounts of major n‐3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, tended to decrease. The amounts of several AA‐derived lipids including COX‐catalyzed prostaglandin (PG) D2 and PGE2, and LOX‐catalyzed leukotriene (LT) B4 were increased in clinical mastitic milk. Although subclinical mastitic milk represented similar trend of lipid production to healthy milk, amounts of several lipids such as LTD4, 14,15‐dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid, and 14‐epoxyeicosatrienoic acid changed. These findings would be helpful for better understanding of mastitis pathology and give us some insights to develop a new diagnostic and therapeutic strategy.
Management of vaso‐occlusive episodes in the day hospital decreases admissions in children with sickle cell disease
Authors: Karkoska Kristine , Appiah‐Kubi Abena , Rocker Joshua , Stoffels Guillaume , Aygun Banu
Published: May 2019

Acute vaso‐occlusive episodes (VOE) are the most common reason for presentation to the Emergency Department (ED) and inpatient admission in people living with sickle cell disease (SCD). The goal of this study was to compare the hospital admission rate for VOE from our centre’s day hospital (Pediatric Ambulatory Chemotherapy and Transfusion Unit; PACT) versus the ED, and to determine which factors influence admission rate. The study included a total of 370 visits involving 140 children with SCD with a mean age of 10·9 ± 5·5 years. The timing from triage to the first analgesic was significantly different between the PACT and the ED (median, 32 vs. 70 min, P < 0·0001). The initial choice of opioid dosage adhered to our centre’s guidelines 84% of the time in the PACT v. 45% in the ED for morphine (P = 0·0003) and 100% in the PACT vs. 43% (P = 0·002) for hydromorphone. The admission rate from the ED (57%) was significantly higher than that of the PACT (29%) even when accounting for differences in baseline variables (P = 0·0001). In conclusion, the odds of being admitted were 3·8 times higher if the patient was treated in the ED. Timely administration and appropriate dosing of intravenous opioids may change this outcome in the future.
Psychometric properties of the Child Oral‐care Performance Assessment Scale
Authors: Nair Rahul , Do Loc Giang , Luzzi Liana , Brennan David Simon , Roberts‐Thomson Kaye Frances , Spencer Andrew John
Published: May 2019

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of Child Oral‐care Performance Assessment Scale (COPAS).

Methods

Items for the instrument were developed and pilot tested. This questionnaire was implemented in the Australian National Child Oral Health Study 2012‐2014, whose aims included the assessment of oral care performance. This nationally representative sample of 23 538 respondents with complete data was divided into five groups: a main validation group and four cross‐validation groups, using blocked randomization. Two scales were constructed, full scale with 37 items (COPAS) and a partial scale with a subset of 31 items (COPAS‐Partial). Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was assessed using correlation coefficients, and structural validity was ascertained in the main validation group and confirmed in the cross‐validation groups using structural equation models.

Results

Cronbach's alpha for COPAS was 0.95, and for COPAS‐Partial was 0.94. The convergent validity of global satisfaction with oral care and the subscales was r = 0.29‐0.51, and that with the overall scales was r = 0.59 for COPAS and r = 0.59 for COPAS‐Partial. COPAS (Root mean squared error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06, Comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.90, Tucker‐Lewis index (TLI) = 0.89, and Coefficient of determination(COD) = 0.99) and COPAS‐Partial (RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = 0.91, TLI = 0.90, COD = 0.97) had adequate fit. Structural invariance was present (P‐value = 0.97).

Conclusion

There was acceptable structural validity, construct validity and internal consistency in the models tested for COPAS and COPAS‐Partial. COPAS has potential use in the evaluation of the delivery of dental services to children.
E‐cigarettes and head and neck cancers: A systematic review of the current literature
Authors: Flach Susanne , Maniam Pavithran , Manickavasagam Jaiganesh
Published: May 2019

Background

Cigarette smoking is a well‐established risk factor for head and neck (HN) cancers. Use of electronic cigarettes (e‐cigarettes) is gaining popularity, being advertised as benign alternatives to tobacco. A wide variety of potentially harmful chemical components with variable quantity have been identified in e‐liquids and aerosols of e‐cigarettes. However, use of e‐cigarettes remains controversial due to conflicting evidence.

Objectives

We aimed to assess the association between e‐cigarettes and HN cancers. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the literature for evidence on carcinogenic effects of e‐cigarettes in the pathogenesis of HN cancers.

Type of review

Qualitative systematic review.

Search strategy

A PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, CINAHL Plus, Trip Medical Database and Web of Science search was done for studies on e‐cigarettes and HN cancer.

Evaluation method

Abstract review of all articles, full article revision of included studies, data extraction and quality assessment were performed by two independent assessors.

Results

The literature search resulted in the identification of 359 articles. Eighteen articles were selected for inclusion into the systematic review. The majority were laboratory‐based studies, followed by several cohort and case studies, representing low‐level evidence. A few reports suggested DNA damage following exposure to e‐cigarettes potentially due to increased oxidative stress. Flavoured e‐liquids appear to be more harmful. There is variable evidence from clinical studies.

Conclusions

Our review outlines potential dangers associated with the use of e‐cigarettes and their role in HN cancers. More longitudinal and controlled studies are needed to assess the possible link between e‐cigarettes and HN cancers.
Does donor‐recipient age difference matter in outcome of heart transplantation?
Authors: Ram Eilon , Lavee Jacob , Kogan Alexander , Kassif Yigal , Elian Dan , Freimark Dov , Peled Yael
Published: May 2019

Objective

Potential interactions between donor‐recipient age difference and outcomes after heart transplantation are not well known. We thus aimed to study the impact of donor‐recipient age difference on heart transplantation outcomes.

Methods

Between 1995 and 2017, we assessed 234 heart transplantation patients. Based on donor‐recipient age difference histogram, we stratified these patients into three groups: older donors (donor‐recipient difference > 0; n = 48), younger donors (donor‐recipient difference 0 to −20 years; n = 82), and much younger donors (donor‐recipient difference <−20 years; n = 104).

Results

The baseline metabolic risk profile of the recipients was significantly higher for the much younger donor group compared with the younger and older groups, including hypertension (52% vs 33% vs 25%, P = 0.002), dyslipidemia (51% vs 51% vs 29%, P = 0.027), diabetes (30% vs 16% vs 17%, P = 0.044), and smoking history (53% vs 46% vs 29%, P = 0.024), respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups in long‐term survival, cardiac allograft vasculopathy, or rejection‐free survival in unadjusted and adjusted analyses. In the much younger donor group, gender matching was associated with a lower incidence of primary graft dysfunction (37% vs 58% P = 0.05).

Conclusions

Donor‐recipient age difference does not significantly impact long‐term heart transplantation outcomes.
The long‐term effects of institutional rearing, foster care intervention and disruptions in care on brain electrical activity in adolescence
Authors: Debnath Ranjan , Tang Alva , Zeanah Charles H. , Nelson Charles A. , Fox Nathan A.
Published: May 2019

Exposure to early psychosocial deprivation as a result of institutional care disrupts typical brain development. The Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP) is the first longitudinal study to investigate the neurodevelopment of institutionalized infants randomized to a foster care (FCG) intervention versus care as usual (CAUG). Here, we present findings from a follow‐up assessment of brain electrical activity as indexed by resting EEG at age 16 years. In addition, we examined the effects of disruption of foster care placement (e.g. the number of moves among foster care placements) on brain electrical activity. Resting‐state EEG was collected from 48 CAUG, 46 FCG and 48 never institutionalized (NIG) control participants. Absolute (µV2) and relative (proportion) power were computed from eyes closed, resting EEG data for theta, alpha and beta frequency bands. The CAUG displayed higher relative theta and lower relative alpha power compared to the FCG at 16 years of age. The FCG showed brain activity comparable to the NIG. The results further showed that disruptions following the original foster care placement had an adverse effect on brain electrical activity. Within the foster care group, there were no effects of age of placement on EEG power. Placement of children who have experienced early institutional rearing into stable foster care settings ensure long‐term improvement in brain functioning.
Investigating optimal β‐cell‐preserving treatment in latent autoimmune diabetes in adults: Results from a 21‐month randomized trial
Authors: Hals Ingrid K. , Fiskvik Fleiner Hanne , Reimers Nina , Astor Marianne C. , Filipsson Karin , Ma Zuheng , Grill Valdemar , Björklund Anneli
Published: May 2019

Aims

To compare outcomes of glucagon‐stimulated C‐peptide tests (GSCTs) in people with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) after a 21‐month intervention with either insulin or the dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor sitagliptin.

Research design and methods

We included 64 glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibody‐positive individuals, who were diagnosed with diabetes <3 years before the study, aged 30 to 70 years, and without clinical need for insulin treatment. We stratified participants by age and body mass index (BMI) and evaluated β‐cell function by GSCT after a 48‐hour temporary withdrawal of study medication.

Results

Age at randomization (mean 53 years), BMI (mean 27 kg/m2) and metabolic markers were similar between treatment arms. Glycated haemoglobin concentrations during intervention did not differ between arms. Fasting C‐peptide concentrations after the intervention were similar, as were stimulated C‐peptide levels (0.82 ± 0.63 nmol/L after insulin, 0.82 ± 0.46 nmol/L after sitagliptin; nonsignificant). Autoimmunity in the study population (estimated from GAD antibody titres and positivity/no positivity for zinc transporter 8 and islet antigen 2 antibodies) affected the evolution of the GSCT results significantly, which deteriorated in participants with high but not in those with low autoimmunity. Adjustment using analysis of covariance for the degree of autoimmunity did not alter the findings of no difference between treatment arms.

Conclusions

β‐cell function after intervention was similar in patients with insulin‐ and sitagliptin‐treated LADA, regardless of the strength of autoimmunity. Further, participants with low levels of GAD antibodies did not experience progressive deterioration of β‐cell function over a 21‐month period. Taken together, these findings could be useful for clinicians' choices of treatment in people with LADA.
Asymmetric aortic valve is related to development of eccentric aortic regurgitation in patients with tricuspid aortic valve
Authors: Park Tae‐Ho , Kim Soo‐Jin , Cho Young‐Rak , Park Kyungil , Park Jong‐Sung , Kim Moo‐Hyun , Kim Young‐Dae
Published: May 2019

Background

It is unclear whether asymmetry itself plays a role in developing eccentric aortic regurgitation (AR) in patients with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). The aim of this study was to determine whether an asymmetric aortic valve structure may have association with the development of eccentric AR in patients with TAV.

Methods

Of the 164 410 patients who underwent echocardiography between January 2006 and January 2018 at Dong‐A University Hospital, 306 (mean age 69.9 ± 12.6 years; 62% men) eccentric AR were identified. After excluding patients with bicuspid and prolapsed AV, 104 patients who had eccentric AR with TAV were enrolled for the study. Comprehensive echocardiographic AV cusp measurements were compared to those of 104 age‐ and gender‐matched control patients with central AR.

Results

In the eccentric and central AR groups, 66 (63.5%) and 48 patients (46.2%) had asymmetric AV, respectively. Mean cusp height was significantly larger in the eccentric AR group than in the central AR group (1.8 ± 0.3 cm vs 1.7 ± 0.2 cm, P = 0002). Furthermore, the mean cusp area and average asymmetry index of the cusp area were also significantly larger in the eccentric AR group than in the central AR group (2.6 ± 0.8 cm2 vs 2.3 ± 0.6 cm2, P = 0.001, and 7.1 ± 4.5% vs 4.9 ± 2.5%, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusion

AV asymmetry indices of eccentric AR were significantly larger than those of patients with central AR. These data suggest that the presence of asymmetric AV might have association with the development of eccentric AR in patients with TAV.
Occurrence of natural lectin with bacterial agglutination property in the serum of lepidopteran pest, Parasa lepida
Authors: Arumugam Ganesh , Karuppiah Hilda , Sreeramulu Bhuvaragavan , Paulchamy Ramaraj , Sundaram Janarthanan
Published: May 2019

Insects depend on lectins for non‐self recognition and clearance of invading pathogens. Naturally occurring lectin showing specificity for galactose was purified from the serum of lepidopteran pest Parasa lepida by affinity chromatography using Sepharose 6B coupled with galactose as a gel matrix. Preliminary studies on crude serum agglutinin revealed that the agglutinin molecule showed varying degrees of specificity to avian and mammalian red blood cells tested. Among them, the highest titer of 128 was recorded against rabbit red blood cell type. The agglutinin molecule in the crude serum was stable up to 60°C and at pH between 6 and 9. Also, the hemagglutinating activity was neither dependent on divalent cations nor sensitive to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid treatment. Galactose inhibited the hemagglutinating activity at minimum inhibitory concentration of 12.5 mM and hence it was used as a ligand for affinity chromatography. Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis revealed a single band and the molecular weight of the lectin was found to be approximately 90 kDa. Bacterial agglutination activity of the purified lectin with two significant toxin bacteria, namely Salmonella typhi and Bacillus thuringiensis, was observed.
Evolution, not transgenerational plasticity, explains the adaptive divergence of acorn ant thermal tolerance across an urban–rural temperature cline
Authors: Martin Ryan A. , Chick Lacy D. , Yilmaz Aaron R. , Diamond Sarah E.
Published: May 2019

Although studies increasingly disentangle phenotypic plasticity from evolutionary responses to environmental change, few test for transgenerational plasticity in this context. Here, we evaluate whether phenotypic divergence of acorn ants in response to urbanization is driven by transgenerational plasticity rather than evolution. F2 generation worker ants (offspring of laboratory‐born queens) exhibited similar divergence among urban and rural populations as field‐born worker ants, suggesting that evolutionary divergence rather than transgenerational plasticity was primarily responsible for shifts toward higher heat tolerance and diminished cold tolerance in urban acorn ants. Hybrid offspring from matings between urban and rural populations also indicated that evolutionary divergence was likely the primary mechanism underlying population differences in thermal tolerance. Specifically, thermal tolerance traits were not inherited either maternally or paternally in the hybrid pairings as would be expected for strong parental or grandparental effects mediated through a single sex. Urban–rural hybrid offspring provided further insight into the genetic architecture of thermal adaptation. Heat tolerance of hybrids more resembled the urban–urban pure type, whereas cold tolerance of hybrids more resembled the rural–rural pure type. As a consequence, thermal tolerance traits in this system appear to be influenced by dominance rather than being purely additive traits, and heat and cold tolerance might be determined by separate genes. Though transgenerational plasticity does not appear to explain divergence of acorn ant thermal tolerance, its role in divergence of other traits and across other urbanization gradients merits further study.
Experimental warming alters the community composition, diversity, and N2 fixation activity of peat moss (Sphagnum fallax) microbiomes
Authors: Carrell Alyssa A. , Kolton Max , Glass Jennifer B. , Pelletier Dale A. , Warren Melissa J. , Kostka Joel E. , Iversen Colleen M. , Hanson Paul J. , Weston David J.
Published: May 2019

Sphagnum‐dominated peatlands comprise a globally important pool of soil carbon (C) and are vulnerable to climate change. While peat mosses of the genus Sphagnum are known to harbor diverse microbial communities that mediate C and nitrogen (N) cycling in peatlands, the effects of climate change on Sphagnum microbiome composition and functioning are largely unknown. We investigated the impacts of experimental whole‐ecosystem warming on the Sphagnum moss microbiome, focusing on N2 fixing microorganisms (diazotrophs). To characterize the microbiome response to warming, we performed next‐generation sequencing of small subunit (SSU) rRNA and nitrogenase (nifH) gene amplicons and quantified rates of N2 fixation activity in Sphagnum fallax individuals sampled from experimental enclosures over 2 years in a northern Minnesota, USA bog. The taxonomic diversity of overall microbial communities and diazotroph communities, as well as N2 fixation rates, decreased with warming (p < 0.05). Following warming, diazotrophs shifted from a mixed community of Nostocales (Cyanobacteria) and Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria) to predominance of Nostocales. Microbiome community composition differed between years, with some diazotroph populations persisting while others declined in relative abundance in warmed plots in the second year. Our results demonstrate that warming substantially alters the community composition, diversity, and N2 fixation activity of peat moss microbiomes, which may ultimately impact host fitness, ecosystem productivity, and C storage potential in peatlands.
Disentangling how climate change can affect an aquatic food web by combining multiple experimental approaches
Authors: Amundrud Sarah L. , Srivastava Diane S.
Published: May 2019

Predicting the biological effects of climate change presents major challenges due to the interplay of potential biotic and abiotic mechanisms. Climate change can create unexpected outcomes by altering species interactions, and uncertainty over the ability of species to develop in situ tolerance or track environmental change further hampers meaningful predictions. As multiple climatic variables shift in concert, their potential interactions further complicate ecosystem responses. Despite awareness of these complexities, we still lack controlled experiments that manipulate multiple climatic stressors, species interactions, and prior exposure of species to future climatic conditions. Particularly studies that address how changes in water availability interact with other climatic stressors to affect aquatic ecosystems are still rare. Using aquatic insect communities of Neotropical tank bromeliads, we combined controlled manipulations of drought length and species interactions with a space‐for‐time transplant (lower elevations represent future climate) and a common garden approach. Manipulating drought length and experiment elevation revealed that adverse effects of drought were amplified at the warmer location, highlighting the potential of climatic stressors to synergistically affect communities. Manipulating the presence of omnivorous tipulid larvae showed that negative interactions from tipulids, presumably from predation, arose under drought, and were stronger at the warmer location, stressing the importance of species interactions in mediating community responses to climate change. The common garden treatments revealed that prior community exposure to potential future climatic conditions did not affect the outcome. In this powerful experiment, we demonstrated how complexities arise from the interplay of biotic and abiotic mechanisms of climate change. We stress that single species can steer ecological outcomes, and suggest that focusing on such disproportionately influential species may improve attempts at making meaningful predictions of climate change impacts on food webs.
Is “poor” English in linguistic landscape useful for EFL teaching and learning? Perspectives of EFL teachers in China
Authors: Shang Guowen , Xie Fen
Published: May 2019

Numerous studies in linguistic landscape (LL) have shown that the languages displayed on signs in city space can provide a rich semiotic resource enabling language learning in “real‐life” situations. However, in a context where LL is often criticized for profusion of errors or substandard expressions, it is doubtful whether the LL still holds pedagogical appeals for language teachers. Taking English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in China as research subjects, this study investigates their beliefs about the pedagogical values, if any, of English LL in Eastern China's city and school spaces. The survey and interview results reveal that EFL teachers acknowledge the educational roles of environmental English despite the discouraging voices in the circulating discourses. It is also found that due to the prevailing standard language ideology, the teachers have low tolerance for Chinese English on public signs. Moreover, these teachers show eagerness to turn from passive consumers to active creators of English schoolscape in order to create a learners‐customized English environment. These findings reaffirm the proposal that the LL in EFL context can function as a resource as well as an instrument for EFL teaching and learning. However, pedagogical application models for LL need to be developed in order to expand its educational contributions
Treatment responses in patients with vitiligo to very potent topical corticosteroids combined with vitaminotherapy in Madagascar
Authors: Sendrasoa Fandresena A. , Ranaivo Irina M. , Sata Moril , Andrianarison Malalaniaina , Raharolahy Onivola , Rakotoarisaona Mendrika F. , Razanakoto Naina H. , Ramarozatovo Lala S. , Rapelanoro Rabenja Fahafahantsoa
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Vitiligo is a refractory disease in which treatment modalities are not yet established. We aim to assess results obtained 10 years after the initiation of a therapeutic protocol which combines very potent topical corticosteroids (TCS), vitaminotherapy (B12 and C), and suppression of microtraumas in the management of nonsegmental vitiligo in Madagascar.

Methods

It was a prospective and descriptive study over a period of 6 years (2011–2016) in the Department of Dermatology, Joseph Raseta Befelatanana, Antananarivo, Madagascar. The diagnosis of vitiligo was based on clinical data. Patients who agreed to follow the treatment protocol, which combined very potent TCS (two applications/day for 10 days, and then one application/day for the following 10 days), oral vitamin C 500 mg/day for 20 days, and oral vitamin B12 100 mg/day for 20 days, were included in the study. Two successive courses of treatment were made 10 days apart.

Results

The details of 308 vitiligo patients were analyzed. The mean age of patients was 33.3 years. There was a female preponderance (sex ratio: 0.6). The duration of treatment in our patients varied from 3 to 18 months. Two hundred and thirty‐nine patients had good therapeutic compliance and attended regular follow‐up. Excellent repigmentation (more than 76% area repigmented) was noted in 50 patients (65.7%) less than 14 years of age. Lesions evolving in less than 1 year in 31 patients (36.9%) had excellent response to treatment. Localized lesions responded favorably to treatment with excellent repigmentation in 108 patients.

Conclusion

These results show that therapeutic response is better in young people, lesions less than 1 year of evolution, and for localization of vitiligo in the face and neck.
Polymorphisms in MAPK9 (rs4147385) and CSF1R (rs17725712) are associated with the development of inhibitors in patients with haemophilia A in North China
Authors: Zhao Mingming , Zhang Yujing , Liu Yanyan , Sun Guoxun , Tian Hong , Hong Luojia
Published: May 2019

Introduction

The formation of neutralizing antibodies (FVIII inhibitors) in haemophilia A patients is an immune response to the deficient factor. This process is multifactorial and includes environmental and genetic factors. Some genetic markers that play a decisive role in the immune response have been identified as risk factors for inhibitor development.

Objective

Our aim was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in several genes involved in the regulation of the immune response and inhibitor development in patients with haemophilia A in North China.

Methods

We analysed eight SNPs (MAPK9 rs4147385, CSF1R rs17725712, CD44 rs927335, STAT4 rs7574865, IKZF1 rs4917014, ETS1 rs6590330, BANK1 rs17266594 and rs10516487) by Snapshot SNP genotyping assays in 100 haemophilia A patients, including 29 with inhibitors and 71 without inhibitors.

Results

Our results demonstrated that the rs17725712 A allele and the AA homozygous genotype of CSF1R were more frequent in patients with inhibitors. The rs4147385 G allele in MAPK9 was also more frequent in the inhibitor cohort.

Conclusion

We confirmed an association of CSF1R rs17725712 and MAPK9 rs4147385 with inhibitor development in haemophilia A patients in North China.
Social Welfare and Remittances to Older Adults in Two Caribbean Cities
Authors: Quashie Nekehia T.
Published: May 2019

This study explores the correlates of financial and material remittances to older adults in Havana and Bridgetown. These cities, both within countries at a very advanced stage of population ageing, have different institutional contexts for older adults. Data come from the 2000 Survey on Health, Well‐Being and Aging in Latin America and the Caribbean (SABE) of adults 60 years and older with children overseas, Havana (n = 461) and Bridgetown (n = 1,003), representing 342 and 531 families, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicate that remittances to Havana were significantly associated with parents' and children's socio‐economic resources. Remittances to Bridgetown were associated with parents' sociodemographic characteristics and sibling's coresidence with parents. In both cities, remittances were positively associated with parents' support of their children. The findings suggest remittances are both a household survival strategy, which can reinforce socioeconomic inequality, and symbolic of social norms of family relations.
Cirsium japonicum var. maackii and apigenin block Hif‐2α‐induced osteoarthritic cartilage destruction
Authors: Cho Chanmi , Kang Li‐Jung , Jang Dain , Jeon Jimin , Lee Hyemi , Choi Sangil , Han Seong Jae , Oh Eunjeong , Nam Jiho , Kim Chun Sung , Park Eunkuk , Jeong Seon‐Yong , Park Chan Hum , Shin Yu Su , Eyun Seong‐il , Yang Siyoung
Published: May 2019

Although Hif‐2α is a master regulator of catabolic factor expression in osteoarthritis development, Hif‐2α inhibitors remain undeveloped. The aim of this study was to determine whether Cirsium japonicum var. maackii (CJM) extract and one of its constituents, apigenin, could attenuate the Hif‐2α‐induced cartilage destruction implicated in osteoarthritis progression. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrated that CJM reduced the IL‐1β‐, IL‐6, IL‐17‐ and TNF‐α‐induced up‐regulation of MMP3, MMP13, ADAMTS4, ADAMTS5 and COX‐2 and blocked osteoarthritis development in a destabilization of the medial meniscus mouse model. Activation of Hif‐2α, which directly up‐regulates MMP3, MMP13, ADAMTS4, IL‐6 and COX‐2 expression, is inhibited by CJM extract. Although cirsimarin, cirsimaritin and apigenin are components of CJM and can reduce inflammation, only apigenin effectively reduced Hif‐2α expression and inhibited Hif‐2α‐induced MMP3, MMP13, ADAMTS4, IL‐6 and COX‐2 expression in articular chondrocytes. IL‐1β induction of JNK phosphorylation and IκB degradation, representing a critical pathway for Hif‐2α expression, was completely blocked by apigenin in a concentration‐dependent manner. Collectively, these effects indicate that CJM and one of its most potent constituents, apigenin, can lead to the development of therapeutic agents for blocking osteoarthritis development as novel Hif‐2α inhibitors.
Emotion versus cognition: differential pathways to theory of mind for children with high versus low callous‐unemotional traits
Authors: Satlof‐Bedrick Emma , Waller Rebecca , Olson Sheryl L.
Published: May 2019

Background

Theory of mind (ToM) serves as a foundation for developing social cognition. Developmental theory suggests that early emotion understanding supports the development of ToM, but few studies have tested this question within longitudinal designs. Additionally, children with callous‐unemotional (CU) traits directly challenge this theory as they appear to develop intact ToM despite deficits in emotion understanding. Inhibitory control is proposed as one possible compensatory mechanism for ToM development in children with high CU traits.

Methods

We examined emotion understanding and inhibitory control at age 3 as predictors of ToM at age 6 and tested whether these pathways were different in children with high versus low levels of CU traits. Multimethod data included observations of child emotion understanding and inhibitory control and parent reports of CU traits drawn from a prospective, longitudinal study (N = 240, 48% female).

Results

Consistent with our hypothesis, emotion understanding at age 3 significantly predicted ToM at age 6 only for children with low CU traits. Although there was a significant interaction between inhibitory control and CU traits in relation to later ToM, the simple slopes were not significant.

Conclusions

We find prospective longitudinal evidence that emotion understanding is a developmental precursor of ToM. However, this pathway was not evident in children with high CU traits. Future research is needed to further explore potential mechanisms by which children with CU traits develop ToM with a potential focus on higher‐order cognitive skills.
Leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 phosphorylation on synapsin I regulates glutamate release at pre‐synaptic sites
Authors: Marte Antonella , Russo Isabella , Rebosio Claudia , Valente Pierluigi , Belluzzi Elisa , Pischedda Francesca , Montani Caterina , Lavarello Chiara , Petretto Andrea , Fedele Ernesto , Baldelli Pietro , Benfenati Fabio , Piccoli Giovanni , Greggio Elisa , Onofri Franco
Published: May 2019

Leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a large multidomain scaffolding protein with kinase and GTPase activities involved in synaptic vesicle (SV) dynamics. While its role in Parkinson’s disease has been largely investigated, little is known about LRRK2 physiological role and until now few proteins have been described as substrates. We have previously demonstrated that LRRK2 through its WD40 domain interacts with synapsin I, an important SV‐associated phosphoprotein involved in neuronal development and in the regulation of neurotransmitter release. To test whether synapsin I is substrate for LRRK2 and characterize the properties of its phosphorylation, we used in vitro kinase and binding assays as well as cellular model and site‐direct mutagenesis. Using synaptosomes in superfusion, patch‐clamp recordings in autaptic WT and synapsin I KO cortical neurons and SypHy assay on primary cortical culture from wild‐type and BAC human LRRK2 G2019S mice we characterized the role of LRRK2 kinase activity on glutamate release and SV trafficking. Here we reported that synapsin I is phosphorylated by LRRK2 and demonstrated that the interaction between LRRK2 WD40 domain and synapsin I is crucial for this phosphorylation. Moreover, we showed that LRRK2 phosphorylation of synapsin I at threonine 337 and 339 significantly reduces synapsin I‐SV/actin interactions. Using complementary experimental approaches, we demonstrated that LRRK2 controls glutamate release and SV dynamics in a kinase activity and synapsin I‐dependent manner. Our findings show that synapsin I is a LRRK2 substrate and describe a novel mechanisms of regulation of glutamate release by LRRK2 kinase activity.

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A digital dissection of two teleost fishes: comparative functional anatomy of the cranial musculoskeletal system in pike (Esox lucius) and eel (Anguilla anguilla)
Authors: Brocklehurst Robert , Porro Laura , Herrel Anthony , Adriaens Dominique , Rayfield Emily
Published: May 2019

Advances in X‐ray computed tomography (CT) have led to a rise in the use of non‐destructive imaging methods in comparative anatomy. Among these is contrast‐enhanced CT scanning, which employs chemical stains to visualize soft tissues. Specimens may then be ‘digitally dissected’, producing detailed, three‐dimensional digital reconstructions of the soft‐ and hard‐tissue anatomy, allowing examination of anatomical structures in situ and making accurate measurements (lengths, volumes, etc.). Here, we apply this technique to two species of teleost fish, providing one of the first comprehensive three‐dimensional (3D) descriptions of teleost cranial soft tissue and quantifying differences in muscle anatomy that may be related to differences in feeding ecology. Two species with different feeding ecologies were stained, scanned and imaged to create digital 3D musculoskeletal reconstructions: Esox lucius (Northern Pike), predominantly a suction feeder; and Anguilla anguilla (European eel), which captures prey predominantly by biting. Muscle cross‐sectional areas were calculated and compared between taxa, focusing on muscles that serve important roles in feeding. The adductor mandibulae complex – used in biting – was larger in Esox than Anguilla relative to head size. However, the overall architecture of the adductor mandibulae was also very different between the two species, with that of Anguilla better optimized for delivering forceful bites. Levator arcus palatini and sternohyoideus – which are used in suction feeding – are larger in Esox, whereas the levator operculi is larger in Anguilla. Therefore, differences in the size of functionally important muscles do not necessarily correlate neatly with presumed differences in feeding mode.
Neurovascular alterations of muscularis propria in the human anterior vaginal wall in pelvic organ prolapse
Authors: Sferra R , Pompili S , D'Alfonso A , Sabetta G , Gaudio E , Carta G , Festuccia C , Colapietro A , Vetuschi Antonella
Published: May 2019

In the pathophysiology and progression of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), it has been demonstrated that there is a reorganisation of the muscularis propria of the anterior vaginal wall due to a phenotypic smooth muscle cell to myofibroblast switch. An abnormal deposition of collagen type III seems to be influenced by the involvement of advanced glycation end‐products. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hypothesis that this connective tissue remodelling could also be associated with neurovascular alterations of the muscularis in women with POP compared with control patients. We examined 30 women with POP and 10 control patients treated for uterine fibromatosis. Immunohistochemical analysis, using glial fibrillary acidic protein, S‐100 protein, receptor tyrosine kinase, neurofilament and α‐smooth muscle actin antibodies, was performed. S‐100, receptor tyrosine kinase and neurofilament were also evaluated using Western blot analysis. We observed a decrease in all neurovascular‐tested markers in nerve bundles, ganglia and interstitial cells of Cajal from POP samples as compared with controls. Even if the processes responsible for these morphological alterations are still not known, it is conceivable that collagen III deposition in the anterior vaginal wall affects not only the architecture of the muscle layer but could also modify the intramuscular neurovascularisation and account for an alteration of the neuromuscular plasticity of the layer.
Three‐Dimensional Lesion Phenotyping and Physiologic Characterization Inform Remyelination Ability in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Sivakolundu Dinesh K. , Hansen Madison R. , West Kathryn L. , Wang Yeqi , Stanley Thomas , Wilson Andrew , McCreary Morgan , Turner Monroe P. , Pinho Marco C. , Newton Braeden D. , Guo Xiaohu , Rypma Bart , Okuda Darin T.
Published: May 2019

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Multiple sclerosis (MS) clinical management is based upon lesion characterization from 2‐dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) views. Such views fail to convey the lesion‐phenotype (ie, shape and surface texture) complexity, underlying metabolic alterations, and remyelination potential. We utilized a 3‐dimensional (3D) lesion phenotyping approach coupled with imaging to study physiologic profiles within and around MS lesions and their impacts on lesion phenotypes.

METHODS

Lesions were identified in 3T T2‐FLAIR images and segmented using geodesic active contouring. A calibrated fMRI sequence permitted measurement of cerebral blood flow (CBF), blood‐oxygen‐level‐dependent signal (BOLD), and cerebral metabolic rate of oxygen (CMRO2). These metrics were measured within lesions and surrounding tissue in concentric layers exact to the 3D‐lesion shape. BOLD slope was calculated as BOLD changes from a lesion to its surrounding perimeters. White matter integrity was measured using diffusion kurtosis imaging. Associations between these metrics and 3D‐lesion phenotypes were studied.

RESULTS

One hundred nine lesions from 23 MS patients were analyzed. We identified a noninvasive biomarker, BOLD slope, to metabolically characterize lesions. Positive BOLD slope lesions were metabolically active with higher CMRO2 and CBF compared to negative BOLD slope or inactive lesions. Metabolically active lesions with more intact white matter integrity had more symmetrical shapes and more complex surface textures compared to inactive lesions with less intact white matter integrity.

CONCLUSION

The association of lesion phenotypes with their metabolic signatures suggests the prospect for translation of such data to clinical management by providing information related to metabolic activity, lesion age, and risk for disease reactivation and self‐repair. Our findings also provide a platform for disease surveillance and outcome quantification involving myelin repair therapeutics.
How Shall We Read the History of Ethics?
Authors: Davis G. Scott
Published: May 2019

This response suggests that in writing the history of ethics, it is important to take seriously what the principals wrote and believed, distinguishing it carefully from our own responses to their writings, or from subsequent uses to which their writings may have been put. For example, when reading Thomas Aquinas and Francisco de Vitoria on just war against non‐Christian peoples, forcible conversion and conquest are clearly condemned. Whatever the attitudes of their contemporaries, not to mention later thinkers up to the present, there is no foundation in Aquinas and Vitoria for holy war or “exceptionalism,” American or otherwise.
Solidarity and the New Inequality
Authors: Weithman Paul
Published: May 2019

Economists now have the data to generate a high‐resolution picture of the economic inequalities within the very top fractions of income and wealth and between the top‐most fractions and others that have emerged since the early 1980s. I shall refer to these inequalities collectively as “the new inequality.” I argue that the moral value of solidarity can be used to raise pointed moral questions about the new inequality. In most cases, however, I shall raise such questions without answering them. For I contend that solidarity functions more usefully as part of an articulate hermeneutic of suspicion—that is, as a central element in skepticism about economic inequalities and their justifications. Seeing that it functions in this way, we can see one contribution religious ethics makes to an inquiry into the new inequality.